Photo of GRAND ATLANTIC

GRAND ATLANTIC

GRAND ATLANTIC Radio

Video

Biography

Sometimes, getting a bit lost can be the best thing that happens to you. After a frenetic 2010, Australia’s Grand Atlantic could be forgiven for disappearing for a while. Tours of the US, Japan and Australia had gained them a swag of new fans, and their second album ‘How We Survive’ gained huge exposure and US airplay… so a strategic disappearance was in order.

Over the later part of the year, around 20 songs were written and arranged by the band for their third long-player. The power-pop flavour of the first two albums gave way to a darker, more introspective set of tracks that tip the hat to the shoegaze sound of the early 90’s, while stripping back the arrangements to a leaner, tougher, more direct sound.

In early 2011, the band bunkered down in Seacliff Lunatic Asylum, an abandoned psychiatric hospital near Dunedin, New Zealand, with producer Dale Cotton to record their upcoming album ‘Constellations’. As singer Phil Usher describes, “We had a few strange experiences while we were there—hearing voices during takes, strange sounds, and we also saw a microphone stand move like someone knocked it.” That strangeness, and the unease of not quite knowing where you are, informs the sounds on the record.

The new album is sheer psychedelic sophistication, its beating heart urgent and undeniable. Yet the band is content to let the music build and peak, unhurriedly and with tangible conviction. Intimate and inscrutable, these songs bend and fold, stretch out and explode. Guitar-pop mutates into a lush psycho-geographical map where the band’s headspace mimics the manic contours of the equally beautiful and punishing New Zealand countryside where the album was recorded.

In March 2010, Grand Atlantic barnstormed across the US and Canada after invitations to showcase at SXSW and Canadian Music Week, following extensive touring of the album in Australia and a growing call from the US powerpop scene. The release of ‘How We Survive’ in the US prompted radio play on over 50 radio stations, a glut of media attention and placed them on a bunch of SXSW ‘bands to watch’ short lists.

Back home, Scene Magazine characterized them best: “How We Survive is classic guitar pop that leans heavily on Brian Wilson, Ray Davies and The Beatles while asserting a sonic identity rooted heavily in 90s Brisbane rock...How We Survive is the best chance yet for this Brisbane band to take on the world.”

Even the massive exposure of their “Gossip Girl” track hasn’t changed their focus or approach to music. “We’re really proud of what we’ve done on record to date, but we also wanted to keep evolving and growing as a band. The first two were done over a long period of between one and two years. This new album was recorded in 12 days and that created an intense and focused process,” says Usher. “We’ve really let down our hair, experimented and let things be a lot more raw than we ever have before. It’s been a frightening, exhilarating and wild ride!”

March 2011 saw Grand Atlantic return to the US for a repeat tour of both the East and West coasts, as well as SXSW again. Live, they’re passionate and intense, a high-energy rock tour-de-force. The first official single from ‘Constellations’ is ‘Fresh ideas In Home Security, which can be found at ....http://freshideas.viinyl.com/.... - and the band is about to announce Australian dates. ‘Constellations’ is due for release 2nd September 2011.

Publicity Australia
Remedy Music
info@remedymusic.com.au
www.remedymusic.com.au

Publicity USA -
Janelle Rogers, Green Light Go
Phone 877.208.6194
janelle@glgpub.com
....www.greenlightgopublicity.com....
EPK ....http://glgpub.com/roster/grand-atlantic.... ..........

General Info

  • Genre: Alternative / Indie / Rock

    Location Brisbane, Au

    Profile Views: 129129

    Last Login: 1/31/2012

    Member Since 10/11/2004

    Website www.grandatlantic.org

    Record Label Laughing Outlaw Records (Aus) -www.laughingoutlaw.com.au

    Type of Label Indie

  • Bio

    Grand Atlantic is an Australian rock band that manages to produce an immediate and engaging brand of modern rock, paying homage to the almost-lost art of songwriting while simultaneously sounding thoroughly modern and completely timeless. Grand Atlantic makes records the unfashionable way – carefully, thoughtfully, with no regard for fashion, demographics or marketing. The results are viscerally thrilling, thoroughly honest and at times, deeply moving. The band's unassuming approach to the business of music has delivered them a fervent fanbase around the globe, and allows them to tour internationally while (mostly) flying under the mainstream radar. Even the massive exposure of their 'Gossip Girl' track hasn't changed their focus or their approach to their music. In March 2010, Grand Atlantic barnstormed across the US and Canada after invitations to showcase at SXSW and Canadian Music Week, following extensive touring of the album in Australia and a growing call from the US powerpop scene for the band to 'come on over'. The release of 'How We Survive' in the US in March 2010 prompted radio play on over 50 radio stations, a glut of media attention and placed them on a bunch of SXSW 'bands to watch' short lists. In July, the album was released in japan to coincide with the band playing a number of shows in Tokyo, Osaka and Mie – and Japanese radio and fans gave the band a rousing reception. '… the songs also sound terrific, well-written and harboring to-the-point melodies that aim to grab you quick. Grand Atlantic has a sound along the lines of Carolina Liar or O.A.R., masterfully blending driving modern rock riffs with smart pop hooks and spot on harmonies…"(Bill's Music Forum, USA) Tracks from their second album, 2009's 'How We Survive', were featured on music sites, blogs and internet radio stations everywhere from Belgium to Russia, USA to Japan, with the album enjoying extensive airplay on Australian and US radio and ending up on a number of the year's "best-of" lists. Recently, the band has bunkered down in an abandoned lunatic asylum near Dunedin (the home of Flying Nun) in New Zealand, under the steady hand of producer Dale Cotton (Die! Die! Die!, The Bats, Dimmer, Robert Scott) to create their as-yet untitled third long-player. Their breakthrough album 'How We Survive' was a heady mix of sweet power-pop and muscular rock, wrapped in accessible, melodic three-minute packages. The new album is sheer psychedelic sophistication, its beating heart now urgent and undeniable while the band are content to let the music build and peak, unhurriedly and yet with tangible conviction. Intimate and inscrutable, these songs bend and fold, stretch out and explode, mutating the guitar-pop form into a psycho-geographical map where the band's headspace mimics the manic contours of the equally beautiful and punishing New Zealand countryside in which it was recorded… March 2011 sees them return to the US for a repeat bout on both the East and West coasts, as well as SXSW again. Make them a priority to catch on this tour. Live, they're an unstoppable hurricane of passion and intensity, a high-energy rock tour-de-force… and with a new album on the way, Grand Atlantic

  • Members

    Phil Usher - Guitars/Vocals/Stylish Suits.... Morgan Hann - Guitars/Keys/Backing Vocals/Cowboy Boots.... Sean Bower - Bass/Backing Vocals/Home Brew.... Mat Von Diehm - Drums/Great Hair.... The members of Grand Atlantic chose to drink at The Troubadour, now we drink at the Junk Bar.

  • Influences

  • Sounds Like

Login

Forgot password?

Need an account? Sign up