Grim: Digital Throw-Up (EP Review)

There are moments in life when there is literally no silence and the little sounds, like flicking the light switch on or turning a faucet off can take on an almost rhythmic quality. On Grim’s latest EP, “Digital Throw-Up”, it feels like all of the nuances of such moments have been melded into its most refined form.

There’s a pulsating vibe and definitive theatricality behind what he’s created. Every song has a different feel, there’s a pastoral inflection and futuristic musicality that is mind-bendingly performed. 

If you have wondered what the music of the future is going to sound like, this is a foreshadowing between two universes, an interstellar glimpse. Grim (Laurence McDaid) has defined his sound as “lo-fi electro blues”. 

It is the blues aspect, accompanied by his vocals, that compliment the stark electronic sounds and brings a strong, soulful quality. Something that is often times vacant from the mainstream electronic movement.

The EP begins with “Breaking Up”, a blues infused song of sorrow that has a drum charged rhythm. It evolves through many stages and compellingly unfolds. “Machine Speak” transports listeners into a haunting echo of the future, a mix of rustic expressions, all the while providing an outlook looking towards a new age of existence.

The earthly apropos “The Sun Seen In Thick Mist Looks Like The Moon” is a completely instrumental track that’s ambient transcendence is cerebrally gratifying, possessing a calming serenity about it. The musical summation to what its title conveys. 

“Quick! Nobody Smile” brings a vast quantity of edge, a defiant melody that’s guitar riffs add a rock-and-roll sensibility. “I Pray for Water” is the final song off of the EP and it is the quintessential blues-electro hybrid, tranquil with a terrestrial sphere that reaches for the cosmos.

You can listen to this marvelous EP on SoundCloud and while you’re there, check out his single, “Diggin” a rivetingly eerie & hypnotic joy ride that’s repetitious chant is sheer brilliance. You can also purchase the EP on Bandcamp. 

Brian Michael Bulger (@Drcbones) did a fantastic interview with Grim that was also the world premiere of the EP on his podcast, you can listen to that here. To keep up with all of the latest happenings with Grim, you can follow him on twitter @GRIMderry.