GENRE-FLUID THE GROGANS KEEP STANDARDS HIGH WITH NEW ALBUM ‘STAGGER’
ALBUM REVIEW | THE GROGANS – STAGGER by Kayleigh Nickson
Some say their sound is garage rock, others say surf rock but after almost 10 years of music, genre-fluid The Grogans know how to push boundaries of styles, and that is no exception for their 5th studio album Stagger, released on 23rd May 2025.
The Melbourne trio are known to be “one of Australia’s hardest working young bands” and just looking at their discography and previous tours, it’s very obvious why; they clearly put everything they have into everything they do including with Stagger.
The album starts off strong with ‘Oh Boy’ which was their first single released out of the 11 tracks and you couldn’t have asked for a more up-beat song. The guitar riffs mixed with the drums, harmonies and the harmonica scratched an itch in my brain. Unfortunately, the second track ‘Come Up (Goes Down)’ is where I personally feel like the album falters. Don’t get me wrong, it has a very catchy tune – it’s giving off Sam Fender if he didn’t sing indie pop music – but I don’t know if there’s any meaning to the song other than that. That being said, I can imagine it being a really fun one to see live with everyone dancing around but as for a song on the album, I feel as though it isn’t their strongest.
‘In My Heart’ slows the album down in the best way I could’ve hoped for. I have a soft spot for a vocal harmony with an acoustic guitar, but the added whistling tied everything together into a lovely, easy-listening present. I appreciate the lyrics to this song and I love the message, “you know that you’ve always got, you’ve got a spot in my heart. I never want you to be something that you’re not.”
‘Have a Little Dream‘ is as dreamy sounding as you’d expect with the title, and it’s the main song that got stuck in my head after listening to the album, particularly where it says, “It’s your life and I’m here, all I can give is my time but I fear it’s not enough for your life but you’re nice, yeah, you can see that I’m trying. It’s alright.”
‘Social Cue‘ is the most recently released single in preparation for this album and I don’t think they could’ve chosen a better song to hype up the release. Each song clearly has different sounds and inspirations while collectively being unapologetically The Grogans and I love that they have the opportunity and creativity to experiment with their music.
From the dreaminess of ‘Have a Little Dream‘ to the punk style of ‘Social Cue‘ and ‘Roll Back‘, it felt like a 180 turn when ‘Happier Man‘ started playing. It seems to have heavy inspiration from Season of The Witch by Donovan which I’m not complaining about as I really enjoy listening to that song and yes, this one is just as catchy too. It’s apparent that they are inspired by 60’s music while also modernising the sound and bringing it to the 21st century with their sub-genres, I can’t help but want to play this release on a record player, it’s the most appropriate way to enjoy and appreciate it in it’s entirety.
The closing tune is ‘All My Days‘ and it’s the perfect upbeat way to end a great listening experience. It’s the kind of song that once it’s over, it makes you miss the sound, so you start the album again… and again.
Stagger is released May 23rd and available to buy on limited vinyl HERE
