Grave Saddles – Willie Nelson Golfing Dream #3 | Single Premiere
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Really Rad Records
The one-word pitch I would give for Grave Saddles is “countrygaze!” If that semi-fake combination of genres makes you think, ‘fuck yeah,’ then this one’s for you. If you appreciate a pastoral view and a cool breeze just as much as you like blowing your eardrums out to Cloakroom, then you’re in the right place. If you dig crushing riffs just as much as you love crushing brews, then this is the band for you.
Grave Saddles represents a promise placed at the exciting middle section of these two sounds. In their music, we hear distorted shoegaze guitars that jangle, twang, and hum but also know when to sweep things up into a big, chaotic dustbowl of noise. The vocals are often crunched up and just as distorted and twangy as the guitar. The end result is a sound that fleshes out a distinct version of shoegaze that’s caked in dirt and grit like a car traveling cross-country. If you want an introduction to Grave Saddles, there’s no better time to start than right now with the goofily-named “Willie Nelson Golfing Dream #3.”
“Willie Nelson Golfing Dream #3” is a conflicted love song that finds our hero desperately trying to pin down their emotions. The only scene-setting exposition we get is an allusion to springtime, which is placed over a world-weary guitar strum. The following line immediately delves into the topic at hand while accidentally evoking mid-90s family-friendly films as the lyrics question, “What exactly is that thing you do?”
We soon learn our narrator is “absolutely fawning” over whoever it is they’re singing about, but with that elation comes a price. The song's emotional core comes in the chorus, which lays out exactly how it feels to have found your person and then not be able to spend as much time around them as you’d like.
I’ve got mixed feelings about you
Making things this fun
Cuz all the times without you now drag
On and on and on
That was some real shit you just said, Grave Saddles.
While the relationship depicted in this song seems like it’s still fresh, this type of sweeping and all-consuming love is all one could ever hope for. Time will tell how this infatuation influences the band’s songwriting going forward, but for now, I’m happy to saddle up to these emotions and commiserate with the awkward feeling of missing someone you love so dearly.
This song is just one of three that make up an EP coming later this month via Really Rad Records. If you haven’t been paying attention, Portland, Oregon’s Really Rad has been on an absolute tear. Since this time last year, they’ve put out attention-grabbing emo releases from Avec Plaisir, Celebration Guns, A Place For Owls, and Swiss Army Wife. They’ve also released the awesome Violent Picture / Violent Sound by Dosser, a “contemporary grunge band” that sits somewhere between Drug Church and Taking Meds. The label has been around since 2014 but has really started to up its game in recent years with a string of impressive releases, up to and including this new Grave Saddle EP.
While three songs might sound lightweight for an EP, anyone familiar with Grave Saddles’ last release, 2022 Tour Tape, will know just how substantive three songs can be. That tape is comprised of two pitch-perfect countrygaze songs and is capped off by a 9-minute rendition of “Minnesota” by The Mountain Goats. Those three tracks combine for a woozy listen that makes a strong case for Grave Saddles as a band and countrygaze as a concept.
The band’s latest collection of tracks is called There You Ain't and drops on May 23rd via Really Rad Records. Lead single “Willie Nelson Golfing Dream #3” will be available on all streaming services tomorrow.
