The New Rochelle, New York-born duo of Frog (brothers Daniel & Steve Bateman) return with GROG this week, their first new material since 2019’s Count Bateman. Released independently through a collaboration between their longtime label Audio Antihero (Nosferatu D2 / Cloud / Benjamin Shaw / Magana) and Daniel’s own Tapewormies imprint, Frog’s fifth LP sees their blend of nostalgic Americana and emotional Indie Rock merge with influences from 70s Pop, 50s Folk and 60s Garage Rock. Today, we are debuting the track ‘Doom Song’ an awesome twanging descent into detuned melancholia, stream below.
The album is preceded by three singles, the first of which, ‘Black on Black on Black’ explored the band’s Hall & Oates fixation through a lo-fi filter. The current single, ‘Maybelline’ is a song formed in a dream, where Daniel Bateman heard it screamed by Bruce Springsteen.
“There are really exciting places we were able to get to on this record, places that I didn’t know existed before I found them. It feels both gothic and cartoonish to me, big gargoyles, dark skies, storms, but the statues are of ‘Aaahh!!! Real Monsters.’ Every song is a step deeper into the abyss.” – Daniel Bateman (Frog)
Though delayed by Daniel’s fatherhood, and a stylistic departure from previous material, “GROG” (a title lifted from the classic adventure game ‘The Secret of Monkey Island’) is definitively still Frog and is filled with the same hope, melancholy, and lust as fan-favorites like ‘Judy Garland‘ and ‘You Know I’m Down.’
GROG is to be released on November 17th (pre-save to Spotify / pre-order on Bandcamp) and ‘Maybelline’ is available now on all digital platforms.
The album launch will take place on the record’s release date with a performance at YoFi Fest 11 in Yonkers, New York. This live show is to be accompanied by a screening of their ‘Kings of Blah’ UK tour documentary.
