Grails announce Chalice Hymnal, their first studio album in six years

Grails announce Chalice Hymnal, their first studio album in six years

Members of Grails have side projects, which means that fanatics of the Portland-based band probably avoided complete mental breakdown when releases from Holy Sons (the Emil Amos project), Watter (the Zak Riles collaboration with Slint member Britt Walford), and Lilacs & Champagne (a band inclusive of Amos and Alex Hall) all helped to fill the nearly six-year span absent a new Grails album. Certainly we’d have been subject to an emotional tizzy if that unofficial hiatus were more akin to a band-wide self-removal from society, but their continued musical existence kept the flame of hope burning; we knew Grails would return and that some of us would soon feel confident again wearing Wrangler jeans and spurs despite an affinity for ballet in a Northeastern metropolis. The music’s not quite as Southwestern as I make it sound…

Chalice Hymnal is out February 17 on Temporary Residence Ltd., and a press release comments on how individualized style proclivities all joined figurative hands to mold the character of the new album. There’s evidence of “European psych” and “experimental hip-hop” production techniques, and Riles reportedly infused some synth layers, which helped in adding a nuance that might’ve been lacking (not to a detriment) on albums such as the preceding Deep Politics.

Pre-orders are available here, and a stream of the promising title track can be found below. Meanwhile, Grails also announced a European tour. Check out the dates here.

Chalice Hymnal tracklisting:

01. Chalice Hymnal
02. Pelham
03. Empty Chamber
04. New Prague
05. Deeper Politics
06. Tough Guy
07. Rebecca
08. Deep Snow II
09. The Moth & The Flame
10. Thorns II
11. After the Funeral

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