I had heard Great Grandpa’s debut album, Plastic Cough, back in 2017. It was enjoyable and underpinned by obvious song-writing talent, but ultimately stuck too closely to a 90s grunge template – adhering pretty strictly to the musical legacy of the band’s native Seattle, 20+ years on. This sophomore effort is a major departure, not to mention a serious level-up, from that. Four of Arrows is an emotional indie record (emodie?), with orchestral leanings, ‘wide’ guitar sounds and elements of folk, post-rock and country. There’s passionate piano (‘Endling’), power-pop (single ‘Bloom’), avant-garde folk (‘English Garden’) and flashes of lo-fi vitriol (‘Digger’). Cross-cutting it all is Alex Menne’s wonderful voice, which oozes feeling and resonates in the gut. The lyrics shift between ‘story mode’ songs – telling tales of the major in the mundane – and more thematic explorations of, for example, vulnerability, mental illness and rebirth. Overall, Four of Arrows is exceptional throughout. It’s almost impossible to believe that this fully formed album was made by the same outfit that were so intent on Nirvana-bothering a mere 24 months or so ago. Great Grandpa have had quite a growth spurt.