Next month sees the release of Griever’s debut full-length, Our Love is Different. Set to be issued by the awesome folk(s) at Vitriol (in addition to that awesomeness, let’s not forget about the label’s sympathetic side as it deigned to release this bit of un-spellchecked wisdom), Our Love is Different follows on the heels of the San Diego band’s Inferior EP, a triple-band split release with VYGR and At Our Heels and is a massive skate bowl/melting pot of melodic punk, discordant hardcore, emo straight from the basement of the 90s and melancholic post-punk.
Below, we present a sneak peak at Our Love if Different in the form of a track called “The Tie That Grinds.” Beneath that was supposed to be an introductory-type interview with the quartet, but I flaked on coming up with unique and penetrating queries in the name of promotion and press clippings. At the same time, I didn’t feel like getting into the standard mumbo-jumbo. so, in lieu of a “real” interview, the band was sent the following open-ended asks:
1) Given your new album’s title, how do you think your personal brand or style of love is different than most other people?
2) What’s the craziest/dumbest/most regretful/whatever thing you’ve done in the name of love, whether that love be for another human being/a record in your record collection/your favourite food/etc.?
Listen to “The Ties That Grind” while reading what they had to say…
Wes Sisk [bass]:
1) The older I get, the more I realize how different from most people that I really am. Over the years, I’ve exhausted an immeasurable amount of energy, dwelling on my hatred for humanity, society and this undying struggle that we call life. It consumes me and fills my stomach. When I find a glimpse of happiness, whether it be from a friend, a romantic partner, a piece of art I’ve created or even something as simple as my favorite pizza, I feel a sense of ultimate relief from the black cloud constantly hovering over me. When I find love I find hope that this world isn’t 100% completely fucked up. I cherish it, appreciate it and love harder than I think anybody else can.
2) Dumbest thing I ever did in the name of love: I was 19 and was dating my first ever girlfriend. Pathetic, right? Anyhow, back then I was singing in what was a pretty poor excuse for a HC/punk band, but since we were in such a small town in the late 90’s, we were kind of the shit as far as my hometown turds were concerned. Strangely enough, our shows back then drew crowds of about 150-200 per show. So here I am, 19 years old, in love for the first time and wanting to profess my love for this girl. So, I had this brilliant idea. I booked a CD release show for my band at this really sick indoor skate park. The other bands that played were either gutter-punx-as-fuck or super metal-core. So, this wasn’t any ordinary CD release show. It was for a single of a song I wrote, recorded and released that was about, and for, this girl. At the time, I was very obsessed with the band Avail, so I tried making it sound like one of their songs, failing miserably, of course. From then on, our band was basically the local laughing stock of punk. I actually ended up marrying that girl when I was 20 years old, but things ended quickly when she fucked one of my friends in my truck in the parking lot of the Showcase Theatre during a Strife show, after finding out that I had just shit my pants while en route to the bathroom.
Orlando Ramirez [guitar]:
1) I love my friends and family more than anything. The way I love is the way I want to be loved. Simple, sincere and unconditional. I feel like our generation is so focused on selfishness and building walls between each other. I don’t want to live like that.
2) I had a vacation to Paris planned back in 2009. Had purchased my ticket and everything. On the day of my flight, I was in a bidding war on eBay for a signed test press of Darkest Hour’s, Undoing Ruin. It got down to the wire and I had to decide between catching my flight or winning the bid. I loved Darkest Hour so much [that] I HAD to have that record! I ended up rescheduling my flight for the next day, which cost me a convenience fee of $250 in order to stay home and win the bid. I lost.
Cory Groenenberg [drums]:
1) To me, nothing beats having a few drinks and relaxing with friends. It’s the simple things.
2) I had been talking to this girl in Salinas, CA that I met while on tour. Things were going well and we talked a lot about getting together. I ended up driving up there to see her, only to find out she had a boyfriend AND was acting like she had no idea why I was there. As if we didn’t have plans to get together. So, I turned around and went back home, having wasted 16+ hours and tons of money on gas.
Alex Jacobelli [guitar/vocals]:
1) When the words “our love is different” came to my mind initially, it had a more personal context as to where I was in my life at that point, but I started to think on the words and let them sink in. I guess this could be interpreted in an almost infinite amount of ways, but I think it comes down to figuring out what you love and learning to be the best you in the process. My personal love can be jealous, foolish, and brash, but it’s also strong and burning (pun intended) and drives me when I feel like giving up. To me, it’s the feeling of “me against the world”. Maybe I’m still learning how it’s different.
2) I seriously can’t top Wes’ answer. Maybe flying to Seattle to see Dave Bazan in a house. And people complain about driving an hour to a show!
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