"It feels new in a lot of ways," says Penelope Jackson about Grassmarket's new album You Are for the Ocean. "I think this is even more of a departure from the traditional musical structures we placed around our music before. We're still using traditional [elements] but we also use electric stuff and we're leaning towards more pop-Americana than more folky stuff." It's an album that came from a dark place in Jackson's life and the themes reflect that emotional struggle. "My sister had a stillborn baby, and it's about coming face-to-face with real grief and the flipside of that, appreciating our family. All of our songwriting lives are trying to understand that balance and finding the joy in everything we can." It's a balancing act that the band perfects on You Are for the Ocean in a set of songs that are sweet and sad but hopeful, too. Catch Grassmarket on its Nova Scotia tour this winter before the trio heads west with the weather.
Grassmarket w/Dark for Dark
Sat Nov 24, The Company House, 2202 Gottingen Street, 8pm, $10