Earlier this season, Grumpy—one of Stereogum’s favorite acts—made a comeback with a grungy, glitch-packed anthem titled “Twenty Five.” And the twist is that this track is pulled from a forthcoming album titled Unfindable Ring, which the band is unveiling today. The second single, “OBL,” has arrived, and it bangs as an alt-country standout.
Grumpy began as Heaven Schmitt’s own idiosyncratic project but has since grown into a full group featuring Anya Good, Ellie Long (Kid Lake), Austin Arnold, Diego Clare (D.A. Crimson), and Lane Rodgers. Here’s Schmitt’s take on “OBL”:
Touring across the country as a band full of trans people, we often worry about how we will be received, and sometimes wonder if we will be safe. But what we usually find is love. We protect each other and laugh and live our normal lives. OBL is about how we experience joy (“I’m so happy I could die”) despite those who don’t want us to be able to exist (“they’re so happy we could die”).
About the Alex Tepper-directed video, they add:
We keep inadvertently making music videos, like “Crush,” “Rice,” “Bird Parts,” and now “OBL” — where I (Heaven) end up playing some kind of creep: lurking, staring, following people, usually the other members of Grumpy, many of whom are trans. It wasn’t intentional at first, but with “OBL” it finally felt obvious why that character keeps showing up.
We often wonder in real life; is the guy at the gas station staring because we’re trans? Is that disgust on his face? Confusion? We don’t usually get to know the answer. We’re left to wonder and go on experiencing joy and tenderness between us.
Check it out below.
TRACKLIST:
01 “Unfindable Ring”
02 “OBL”
03 “yr bitch”
04 “Football Tour”
05 “Answers”
06 “The Whale” (Feat. D.A. Crimson)
07 “Last Of Your Kind”
08 “WTF”
09 “George Clanton”
10 “Cool Ranch”
11 “Solicitors’ Rights”
12 “Twenty Five”
13 “Queens”
Unfindable Ring is out 10/23 via Bayonet. Pre-order it here.
