Written by: Haley Cinotto
Los Angeles based alternative rock band, Grouplove, released their fourth studio album, Healer, and announced an upcoming North American tour.
Healer marks the first new album from Grouplove since their acclaimed third LP, Big Mess, in 2016. The band is returning after a few near traumatic years, when vocalist Hannah Hooper had to undergo brain surgery while recording their new album. Hooper has since recovered, but in the face of such a frightening situation, the group continued to do what they do best: write songs. Band member, Christian Zucconi, stated, “In order for us to get over that and get through it…we just wanted to distract ourselves and write more music.” Bassist Daniel Gleason mentioned that, when looking back at the recording process, he is surprised that the situation didn’t derail the whole album.
Grouplove kicked off their much-anticipated return with the release of their lead single, “Deleter.” After its debut, the track and music video received widespread critical acclaim. Billboard described the return of the alt-rock quintet as “political and powerful,” while Consequence of Sound expressed the single as “almost impossible to hear without imagining the band dancing around the recording studio.”
The title of Grouplove’s new album comes from a lyric in “Deleter,” however, given what Hooper and her bandmates had just been through, they decided to go with something a bit more optimistic.
The group was set to hit the road beginning March 18th, but has since been postponed in light of the spread of COVID-19. When they do kick off their tour, Grouplove pledged to stay in sustainable hotels, drink from reusable bottles, implement vegetarian meals, use in-house electricity, wear second-hand clothing, and book the shortest possible distance between hotels and venues in order to reduce carbon footprint. The band will bring their new material across North America with stops beginning in New Mexico and is scheduled to close out in Birmingham, Alabama.
We have been rehearsing and dreaming about this upcoming tour for months, but we feel that we have a responsibility to do our part to make sure that everyone is safe. We are following the advice of medical and health professionals and are going to postpone our upcoming dates.
— GROUPLOVE (@GROUPLOVE) March 12, 2020
The Healer tour will open with Le Shiv, the first two months, and Jealous of the Birds for the rest of the tour. Unfortunately, Grouplove isn’t set play in Texas yet, but you can visit their Facebook and Instagram to stay updated on future tour announcements.
Listen to the album below and check out the tour trailer featuring “Deleter,” and popular single “Youth,” below.
Grouplove – Healer Tour Trailer
Grouplove- Youth [Official Music Video]
Photo: Getty/Tim Mosenfelder
