Grant Pavol is a Philadelphia-based songwriter who has just announced his debut album; it’s called About A Year and is coming out on September 4 through Accidental Popstar records (run by Shamir, whom Pavol met gigging around Philly). Today Pavol has shared a song from the album called “Bones”, which was inspired by the passing of his grandfather, who just happens to be legendary author, playwright and screenwriter William Goldman.
“Bones” begins as a light country-folk track, that seems pleasant – although Pavol’s breathy and detailed vocals let us know that this is a much more mortal meditation: “The bones just shake and shiver / Soft tissue is broken.” Shortly after that, “Bones” deconstructs in a wholly unexpected way, into a stuttering and electronic-inflected folktronica jam. While Pavol’s musings remain abstract and emotionally loaded, the backing makes the perfect counterpoint for these images to bounce off, and “Bones” continues to evolve and pack in new sounds and surprises, turning it from a gloomy reflection to a life-affirming blast.
“Bones” comes with a video, which Grant Pavol introduces by saying: “Visually, I wanted the video to focus on urban decay. I grew up in South Philadelphia, and the image of the windows of old Italian catholic families filled with statuettes and faded images of Christian iconography is very prominent in my mind when I think of my childhood. I liked the idea of using a skeleton costume as a sort of tacky, heavy handed symbol of death.”
You can watch the clip below or listen to “Bones” on your preferred platform.
Grant Pavol’s debut album About A Year is out on September 4 through Accidental Popstar. You can follow him on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook.
