‘I’m All Ears’ is the second album from Let’s Eat Grandma, the electronica duo comprising Rosa Walton and Jenny Hollingworth, and it shows impressive development from their precocious, if untidy, 2016 debut, ‘I, Gemini’.
Walton and Hollingworth are direct, tactile lyricists who manage to convey profound emotional messages despite a distinctively brattish singing style that recalls ‘90s one-hit-wonders, Shampoo. The best example of that arrives on Hot Pink, a song that combines neo-soul raunch with squawky, whirring industrial percussion and stunning textural switcheroos.
This dizzying effect is bolstered by words that demand empathy and respect in equal measure: ‘'Cause I don't know what to say with you / Fill my head with shame / 'Cause you need someone to blame / I'm just an object of disdain to you / I'm only 17.”
That said, there are limitations. It’s Not Just Me is a mealy-mouthed electro ballad that attempts to recreate the wistful euphoria of Chvrces with limited success. It is underserved by a melody that lacks verve and intensity, and instrumentation short on innovation.
Elsewhere, the album closer Donnie Darko is conceptually and lyrically bold; an 11-minute synth odyssey that opens with a patient, hypnotic guitar dirge. The track grows into a gutsy commentary on unpleasant familial observations, and once again, the lyrics are superb: “Cause the beatings just get harder and we’ll never grow them out / ‘Cause the hand that does the dealings is the one that feeds your mouth.”
But this track's hidden treasure is the intelligent production, which in turn reveals a greater quality of the album as a whole. There is an instrumental refrain that occurs at the four (and six) minute mark when a broken chord pattern bursts through otherwise understated surroundings.
The particular synth patch (voice) has a longer decay time (read: sustain) that appears to reveal imperfections in the playing. Most producers would have whipped this out by either changing the voice or reducing the decay time, but here it is left in.
The net result is music that sounds incredibly human and organic in a genre that is often perfected into sterility. It shows a creative savvy in Let's Eat Grandma that bodes very well for the duo's future work; music that can be lived as well as listened to.
Let's Eat Grandma Upcoming Tour Dates are as follows:
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