Louisville’s indie rock darlings, GRLwood has released the final installment, TEARS, in their BLOOD, SWEAT, and TEARS album trilogy. This is the most prolific outpouring from the band since its inception in 2016. All three albums were written, recorded, and performed by GRLwood founder Rej Forester.
TEARS is a masterful showcase of Forester’s musicality and songwriting and beautifully dramatic departure sonically from what fans have come to expect from GRLwood. Forester references Madonna’s iconic Ray of Light album and classic Brittney Spears records from the Y2K era, such as “Oops I Did It Again” to “Britney” and “In the Zone,” as sources of inspiration for this behemoth body of work, which are ever present in the pop and electronic influences that are layered throughout the album.
Thematically, TEARS is an extension of BLOOD and SWEAT with songs like “Gemini” and “Hand Around my Neck,” about betrayal, a topic that weighs heavily on the trilogy, in addition to one of the most prevalent themes throughout the trilogy, the endless cycle of poverty, which on SWEAT is the core focus on the. R&B-leaning tracks like “God Did Me Wrong” and the EDM and piano-driven song “Everbody Broke Now.”
GRLwood’s explosive live show and the fearless gusto they have dedicated to dismantling toxic heteronormative ideologies through their work have led to the cultivation of a dedicated community of outsiders.
In this new era, nothing is off-limits for Forester, from writing songs about their neurodivergence to the sort of bad faith and duplicity that always comes along with life as a public figure profoundly influencing this new body of work. Facing not just the sexism of a male-dominated music industry but the blatant stereotypes and microaggressions that come along with being openly queer, Forester channels their pain, anger, and disappointment into a body of work that they hope will serve as a portfolio. It showcases not just their musicianship and work as a lyricist but also the breadth of styles they plan to present in GRLwood.
Are you checking this one out?
