Grumpy, “The Whale” (Feat. D.A. Crimson)

Grumpy's new album Unfindable Ring comes out next month. So far Heaven Schmitt and co. have unleashed " Twenty Five " and " OBL ," the latter of which we named one of the best songs of the week . Now, the NYC indie rockers are back with the Alex G-esque earworm "The Whale" featuring D.A. Crimson.

"Diego [Clare], my bandmate, is the greatest songwriter I know," Schmitt says of D.A. Crimson, continuing:

Since I've met them, I've felt that collaborating with and learning from them is the only way I won't die of jealousy over their artistry. In writing this song together, they pushed me out of my normal true-to-life story telling and into inventive fiction. We both can tend towards co-misery over the music industry, wondering if we will make it. But this song is about knowing that our time will come. That the big guns will level up and we will take their place on the next rung of the ladder, that a rising tide raises all ships, and that Grumpy will "eat again" when the "whale has his breakfast."

What started with a few decent punchlines later informed an earnest, heartfelt sentiment, which I think Heaven and I both grapple with a lot. Namely, the feeling that nothing ever gives; that one step somehow sets you back two; that the change keeps getting shorter, a dark "shrinkflation" of the soul, so to speak. But also realizing that despite so many of our systems and institutions feeling increasingly stacked against us, and despite the instability and anxiety we face about our futures, we are, ultimately, the arbiters of our own value and joy. Playing music has a big role in that for us. So it's about embracing gratitude, not in a delusional way, but rather in spite of whatever cynicism we may have, with a tongue in one cheek and an open palm on the other.

The week's most important music stories and least important music memes.