Sydney indie-punk band Great Job! have an EP and several singles under their belt, and now they present their latest track 'Grot’.
The group have landed support slots with the likes of The Smith Street Band and The Hard Aches, and are often likened to artists such as Bugs, Ball Park Music, and Modern Baseball. Their new single 'Grot' covers the topic of depression, and the real life experience of it.
“Depression isn’t romantic, it’s gross. You can’t get out of bed, can’t clean yourself, can’t save yourself from this cycle of neglect and grime,” they say of the track. “I wanted to sing about the spectre of depression to me, not a sleek black dog but an oozing, scabby, piss-soaked swamp creature trying to drag you back into the dusty, lightless room of a depressive episode.”
Sonically, the track starts off smooth, docile almost – with half-spoken, half-sung lyrics about the experience of depression. . . Before it builds to a catchy, angsty chorus of self-realisation.
scenestr is stoked to share the Great Job! track 'Grot' ahead of its official release (7 March). Enjoy.
“It sounds grungy, both noisy and lethargic, bringing that energy of self-destruction and scum. It’s one I wrote in an afternoon and we jammed out the next day; it came together very easily. Every grotty thing I describe in the song has been true at points in my life. It did go through some rewrites after we realised I’d accidentally stolen the hook from 5SOS, but I don’t think they would dare to sing about pissing the bed.”
For many, depression and mental illness can be something to feel ashamed of – but with 'Grot', the band are trying to destroy this stigma, with a song that isn't afraid to describe in detail the effects of a depressive episode and how much it can drag a person down.
“The first time we played this song live, I asked if anyone in the crowd had depression, and was met with an uncomfortable silence and one half hearted 'yeah!',” they say. “But I think everyone can relate to these feelings a bit – if you do, find me after the show and we can pick each other's noses or something, I don’t know. Don’t be ashamed to be disgusting.”
On top of the track's official release on Friday 7 April, Great Job! will be playing a 'Grot' release show at The Vanguard (Sydney) on 14 April.
