I just had to laugh at that band name. Even though I guess they are referring to the German word for room I couldn’t get the image of a ‘grandiose’ Zimmer Frame out of my mind; all fireworks and flames, carrying a pensioner (Hans Zimmer, perhaps) at the speed of light from home to pub.
If they don’t have one rigged up for their stage act they’re missing a trick.
Zimmer Grandioso hail from Gothenburg and as I’ve often remarked we don’t review anything like enough bands from that fair city. So let’s put that right.
There are so many ‘influences’ on show in ‘let me down pt.2’ (I haven’t been able to locate part 1, I’m not sure that it even exists) that I don’t really know where to start. Incidentally it was written by their drummer and took the rest of the band by surprise with its quality but that’s drummers for you (I speak as a [long] retired one) – think Phil Collins, Dave Grohl, Neil Peart, Lars Ulrich, Ringo Starr and plenty of others…
You’ll hear echoes of Twin Peaks right from the start, as if Julee Cruise had somehow sepulchrally wafted by, but also Headless Heroes, the noughties’ alt-folk-rock covers band illuminated by the syrupy voice of Alela Diane, which August Johansson seems to have an instinct for, even if he’s a bloke, if you follow me.
Then, as the song progresses, there are distinct hints of sweeping, imposing 80/90s indie-pop; think Simple Minds or ABC.
And then to top it all there’s an extended outro that almost out-outros M83’s ‘Outro’.
It’s so replete with melody and hooks that Trump will impose a 100% tariff on it if they try to get it into the USA, where Radio KWTF will be waiting for it expectantly.
I’m not going to try to pigeonhole them with a genre, not even Goth part 2, which tempted me.
I can only add that it’s just a matter of time before they are picked up by UK and US stations and if they can replicate this sound live promoters are going to be hammering on their door.
The song is about being slightly out of phase, always on the verge of something more. That verge just petered out into a golden highway, direct to that pot of gold at the end of the rainbow.
‘let me down pt.2’is the second single from the forthcoming EP ‘The Lonesome Foghorn Blows’, which is out in May.
Band members:
August Johansson
Gustav Påhlsson
Tobias Ringsten
Hampus Högdahl
Johan Reiman
Nora Elster
Find them on: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/zimmergrandioso/
