BRISBANE, Australia (Top40 Charts/ Green Light Go Entertainment) Here there be dragons. You never know what you'll find when you set foot on unexplored territory. Brisbane's Grand Atlantic is venturing into uncharted waters this year with a new album and tour to support it.
The power pop quartet recorded their as yet untitled third record inSeacliff Lunatic Asylum, an abandoned psychiatric hospital near Dunedin, New Zealand, where they delved into darker emotional territory, experimented with new recording techniques and experienced the effects of their haunting (and possibly haunted) surroundings. They will bring the psychedelic results of their explorations to the United States this March, playing gigs in Chicago, New York and at SXSW, kicking off in
Chicago at Reggie's
Music Joint on March 11th.
Grand Atlantic's constant touring and rehearsing has honed their skills to a razor-sharp edge. They are so sharp, in fact that some of the tracks on their new album were recorded live. "It was great to have the confidence to do some of the album live as well," says frontman Phil Usher. "It really brings another dimension to the album and some of it is really fly-by-the-seat-of-your-pants kind of stuff."
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 How We Survive in Australia and a growing call from the US powerpop scene. The release of the album 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.
Grand Atlantic Tour Dates
3/11 Reggie's
Music Joint, Chicago, IL
3/12 The Living Room, New York, NY
3/13 The Bowery Ballroom, New York, NY
3/15 Dart International Party, Austin, TX
3/17 Paisley Underground Party, Austin, TX
3/20 Dan Electro's Guitar Bar, Houston, TX
3/22 Comet Tavern, Seattle, WA
3/24 Hotel Utah, San Francisco, CA
3/25 Trip,
Santa Monica, CA
Praise for Grand Atlantic
"GA have a sophomore album on their hands that not only manages to better the debut, but also demonstrates admirable artistic progress and world-stage potential." --Rave Magazine
"Grand Atlantic's second full-length album is a fairly chock-full plate of pop rock, with big sounds, singalong hooks and catchy melodies... How We Survive is a masterfully crafted record."--Time Off Magazine
"...From rocking opener Coast is Clear to reserved closer Don't Say Goodnight, the whole album has a breezy Californian sound that recalls songs like Hole's Malibu.
Melody reigns throughout, with better tracks like She's a Dreamer and These Are The Times sounding like on-form
Evan Dando or Dandy Warhols... How We Survive is a lot of fun." --BEAT Magazine
"...the power-pop treat that is How We Survive, (is) bristling with muscular but always melodic tunes...the towering Coast Is Clear gives
Oasis a run for their money as a big-guitar rock song...Grand Atlantic's latest album delivers."--Courier Mail
"Here,
Usher and Co. has developed a physically burly album, one that is raucous and forceful but also, one that is filled with terrific imagery and important lessons...combining hooks that bite with a tenacious amount of flavor and instruments that are shined, polished and ready to take off." --Bryan Sanchez, Delusions of Adequacy
"We're falling in love with the South Pacific this year... and I've found another gem in Australia's Grand Atlantic... There's a little bit of fuzz in their sound, which recalls Teenage
Fanclub or the lesser known band, The Comas. But, [Tripwires] reminds me a lot of Dandy Warhols."--SXSW Watchlist on Austin Town Hall
"With the break-up of the brothers Gallagher - I now pass the torch over to Phil
Usher and Mat Von Diehm. Viva Grand Atlantic!" --Powerpopaholic
"Harkening back to two of our favorite bands, Sub Pop's Love Battery and Creation's Swervedriver, Australia's Grand Atlantic make pure unabashed rock...we suggest you buckle up now and jump on this train before it becomes bandwagonesque." --Your New Favorite Band on The Dumbing of
America "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
"This is absolutely hypnotic, mind-numbingly good sixties-flavored alt pop of the sort the entire world needs to pay attention to..." --Ripple
Music SXSW Promo #1 (2/10/10)--Waved Rumor
"Grand Atlantic gives you a decidedly post-punk influenced garage sound that fits these American ears just fine, thank you!..." --The Love Shack Baby
"No duds here, and most certainly no sophomore jinx..." --Absolute Power Pop
"This is the excellent album
Oasis should have done after What's the Story Morning Glory but didn't..." --Lucid Culture
"...most of the songs recall the time when bands like Teenage Fanclub, the Posies, Redd Kross and
Velvet Crush made power pop with enough sonic muscle to rival the grunge bands..." --underneathica
"From the outset its obvious Grand Atlantic can pen a pretty good tune. The album rips open with Coast is Clear and its fuzzy guitar driven feel sets up the rest of album nicely... Grand Atlantic sure know how to write songs choc full of guitar driven rock/pop dynamics..."--thedwarf.com.au
"[The song 'Tripwires'] reminds me a lot of Dandy Warhols" --Nathan Lankford, SXSW Watchlist
"Folks, the bottom line is that Grand Atlantic is a solid rock and roll band. There's no gimmicks, no pretense of rock stardom to distract from the basic draw of their music." --Love Shack Baby
"If you're looking for the new
Oasis then you need look nor further than Aussie foursome Grand Atlantic." --The Devil Has The Best Tuna
"The Brisbane, Australia rock band brings hook-heavy power-pop on this album." --Spinner
"'Coast Is Clear,' which opens How We Survive (Laughing Outlaw), is a heavy bit of Catherine Wheel-style stadium shoegaze that meets its guitar-overdub and painkiller-softened-vocals quota." --Magnet Magazine
