“A collection of songs seeking interior spaces as a refuge from the exterior chaos, only to find such an escape impossible.” That’s how we described Number’s Game by Philly’s Grocer, released last year via Grind Select. “The slow and unnerving discovery that we are not separate from the blights of the world […] the perfect themes, that is, for the tumultuous and chaotic Grocer aesthetic.” And tumultuous and chaotic it was, setting out the band’s blend of sugary pop sensibilities and dissonant, volatile experimentation, all tied together by three vocalists.
Grocer have now returned with Scatter Plot, a new EP again on Grind Select which continues to develop this exciting and idiosyncratic style. Writing back in January, we described lead single ‘Downtown Side’, as “utilising the frantic, twitchy energy to capture personal experiences of anxiety and unease,” and the EP as a whole is no less energetic and fidgety. A collection of songs willing to embrace their own directions and energies, albeit united by the common Grocer spirit. “The name ‘Scatter Plot’ seemed fitting because there was a certain unconnectedness from song-to-song, but maybe an underlying trend line which we had not yet discovered,” bassist/vocalist Danielle Lovier explains. A sense of surreal disconnection was central to ‘Downtown Side’, so perhaps the connective tissue of the release is exactly that feeling of detachment.
‘Smooth Operator’ follows with its harsh, combustible sound, the sneering vocals delivered with palpable snarl, while ‘Not By Choice’ offers a more taut, withheld style, its own chaos bubbling below the surface and only fully spilling over in the closing moments. This is again challenged by the urgent insectile drone which introduces ‘Open Wide’, where the energy is held front and centre, the track like a runaway vehicle swerving not to limit its damage but more to create a bigger spectacle. The vibe is captured in the lyrics too. A kind of unhinged momentum threading the words which reveals more than any of the lines themselves
I don’t think I trust how I’m doing
Caught in the door but I need to leave
Save it for the mood ring
Hey I’m doing great, I’m improving
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What emerges across Scatter Plot is the sense of a band not only embracing their singular style but pushing it forward. “We went into this EP, thinking we were just going to making a single and remix (‘Downtown Side’),” as Lovier continues. “As things started progressing with the recordings, some dynamics were changing within the band. We eventually found ourselves down a guitarist, but with a handful of exciting new song ideas. It felt like a moment to try out some new material as a trio, and began to take shape.”
Take the acoustic strum of ‘Here On Out’, a style which feels a world away from that which preceded it, even if the dissonance is not held at bay for long. As though heartfelt emotions emerge even through the anxiety and fury, albeit subject to the same wry humour and ironic distrust as anything else. “Wait,” as the song says. “I think I’m feeling an emotion.” Amid the barrage of everything else, feeling anything is worthy of note.
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Scatter Plot is out now via Grind Select and available from the Grocer Bandcamp page.