grandson Talks Vulnerability and His Confessional Sophomore Album, I Love You, I’m Trying

It's starting to feel like the summer of grandson, and we couldn't be happier.

On May 5, he dropped his stunning and confessional sophomore album, I Love You, I'm Trying, consisting of 12 deeply personal and introspective tracks that confront his struggles with mental health head-on. Just a week later, he kicked off a massive headlining tour across the globe. He began the two-month North American leg of the tour on May 12 in San Diego, with a final U.S. show taking place in New Hampshire on July 11 before he heads to Canada and Mexico, and finally flies off to Europe for even more epic shows.

In the middle of it all, today he released a new music video for lead single "Half My Heart," an upbeat yet bittersweet analysis of his worst self-destructive habits and getting in the way of his own joy. We got the chance to chat with grandson to learn all about the new album and what it's so meaningful to him, and you can read the full interview and check out "Half My Heart"'s new video below.

Sweety High: What does the album name I Love You, I'm Trying mean to you? Why did that title track feel like the perfect summation of this group of songs?

grandson: The album name was taken directly from my most intimate conversations and journal entries, written at a time where trying to be everything I could be for everyone—including myself—felt like not enough. It's an encapsulation of the push and pull between expectation and reality with regards to life going on.

 

SH: What do you feel are the overarching themes of the album? What kind of feel do you hope fans take away from it?

grandson: Well, bluntly, the album deals with mortality and considers whether the option of self-harm is truly a way out to find peace—which I ultimately conclude is not worth it, in spite of life's challenges (thankfully). I think beyond that, though, it's about growing up, it's about acceptance of who you are and who you aren't

 

SH: How would you describe the album's sound? Production-wise, how did you go about bringing these tracks to life?

grandson: This is an alternative album—alternative hip-hop, alternative rock, alternative pop. It takes subtle things from outside those genres and blends them together. The biggest challenge of this album was trying to bring cohesion while going to so many different talented people with their own styles to write it. I tried to be clear with the vision to explore organic drum samples, use vinyl hiss and some of the same sounds across different songs. Lastly, I looped in the great Andrew Dawson to mix the whole thing with me for that added consistency.

 

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SH: How do you feel that these songs represent where you all are in life right now?

grandson: Oh man… they ring true for sure. It's so weird making something this confessional, when I've spent my whole career feeling like a narrator of my feelings and experiences, somehow using my anger as detachment. Fans that know this album know me in a way I'm not really used to, which has been pretty intense in the meet-and-greets on tour and stuff.

 

SH: What's your favorite song on the album? Why?

grandson: Right now, it is "Heather." I've never written a song like this about a fan for my fans, and the attachment people have to it has been so rewarding.

 

SH: Was there anything that surprised you about the process of recording and producing this album?

grandson: What surprised me was how good it felt to take control of the wheel and how trusting my intuition was so much easier than I thought it would be. I changed so much as far as my team and band and collaborators go as I learned more about myself and what I want moving forward. In that way, this album will forever have changed my life, no matter what happens with it.

 

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SH: How are you feeling about releasing it to the world?

grandson: Scared, happy, excited, at peace.

 

SH: Is there anything else you'd like to add?

grandson: The album deals with mental health in a very real way, and if you're experiencing similar feelings to what I was going through, I hope you take away from it how freeing it is to confront those emotions head-on and talk about them with people you love. I'm rooting for you.

 

Check out the music video for "Half My Heart" below:

 

For more of the stories behind our favorite new music, click HERE to read our interview with Thomas Day on his most recent single, "Come Home."