Stream: Grouplove, ‘This Is This’

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Grouplove

Almost exactly one year ago, Grouplove released their fourth album, “Healer.” That weekend, the COVID-19 pandemic brought almost everything to a thoroughly gutting halt, including the L.A. quintet’s plans to spread “Healer” to the world. But rather than mope or spend hours on the art of baking sourdough bread, they channeled their energy into making even more music.

And today, one day short of “Healer’s” one-year anniversary, they released “This Is This,” their most caffeinated release yet … which is saying something considering Grouplove’s catalog. Revved up, pissed off, a primal scream into the void of lockdown, “This Is This” finds musical touchstones in the angsty alternative rock of the ’90s. The punky “Deadline,” released on Wednesday and performed on late-night TV, only hints at the energy of the apocalyptic “This Is the End” or the Pixies-like “Scratch.” (“Oxygen Swimming,” though, is more OG Grouplove.)

“It’s funny that our last album was called ‘Healer,’ because these songs are actually so healing,” Hannah Hooper tells American Songwriter.

Overall, the band says: “We hope this album gives people the permission to fucking scream or headbang or punch walls. It’s important to stay emotional. The whole rainbow is important. If we just live in the light blues, are we really alive? I’m not. I need to feel it all.”

The band — Hooper along with Christian Zucconi, Andrew Wessen, Daniel Gleason, and Benjamin Homola — performed the new album Thursday night during a livestream on the digital platform Moment House. That is still available to stream until tonight. and they have another performance scheduled April 8.

||| Watch: The video for “Deadline”

||| Also: Stream “This Is This” in its entirety

||| Previously: “Deleter”