May 7, 2021

Grawlixes Announce New Album and ‘Love You to Death’ Tour

Grawlixes announce new album and tour. They have released the first video single and announced the upcoming release of their second full-length album, Love You To Death. And have got a ten-stop NZ tour coming your way in July and August.

Love You To Death will be released on July 15 on Home Alone Records and is available to pre-order now HERE

The first single from the new album, ‘Immortalised’ was released on December 7^th, and will be accompanied on May 7^th 2021 with a new video produced by band co-leader Penelope Esplin, comprising of family footage.

Listen to / download first single ‘Immortalised’ HERE

A lot has happened since Penelope Esplin and Robin Cederman recorded the first Grawlixes album in their spare bedroom as a couple in Dunedin. They have since toured extensively throughout Europe with label mates French for Rabbits (playing in Switzerland, Germany, France & England), ended their romantic relationship, moved to Wellington and expanded into a 5 piece.

Grawlixes now consists of Penelope Esplin (Lake South, French for Rabbits) on vocals and accordion, Robin Cederman (Tahu & The Takahes, Prophet Hens) on vocals and electric guitar, Alex Vaastra (Julian Temple Band, Emily Fairlight) on violin, Emma Hattaway (BoJack Funkman) on bass, and Hikurangi Schaverien-Kaa (Dawn Diver, French for Rabbits) on drums.

The album was recorded with Lee Prebble at The Surgery, in Wellington (Winner of Best Engineer at NZ Music Awards for Mel Parson’s Drylands, L.A.B, Black Seeds, Trinity Roots) and mixed with producer Tom Healy (Julia Jacklin, Tiny Ruins, Finn Andrews). Love You To Death also features vibraphone, saxophones, trumpets and clarinets. The result is lush instrumentation, captivating performances and clean intimate vocals.

Grawlixes have never had more to say, nor said it more affectingly. The melodies and harmonies are lovely, the production crackles with colour, and the whole thing marks a new level of achievement.

‘Love You To Death’, runs the breadth of songwriting; from the tragedy of living life through a camera lens, through the animalistic nature people exhibit during a fight, to even plotting the murder of your partner.

On ‘Immortalised’, Esplin writes of the tragedy of living life through a camera lens. She sings a delicate melody of nursery-rhyme like quality harkening back to simpler times of childhood, when her father took countless hours of video of her and her siblings. “He was always behind a camera” Esplin recalls “I hated it and told him so. It wasn’t until Robin criticised me for the same thing during our Europe trip that I realised I had become my father. It gave me room for compassion for him and self compassion.”

The choruses of the song expanding out into lush chords, displaying emotional growth while bemoaning “I live my life through a lens”. The song finishes with the sentiment “I won’t be your negative again.” The music video accompanying the song comprises of family footage taken by Penelope’s father, completing the circle.

GRAWLIXES “LOVE YOU TO DEATH” TOUR

July 22   Blenheim, The Plant,
July 23     Marahau, Tim’s Place,
July 24   Takaka, Mussel Inn
August 12 Wellington, Meow
August 14  Palmerston North, The Stomach
August 15  Hastings, Common Room
August 19  Christchurch, Wunderbar
August 20  Dunedin, The Dive
August 27  Hamilton, Nivara Lounge
August 28 Auckland, Wine Cellar