Grace Potter & the Nocturnals

Grace Potter & the Nocturnalsʼ self-made 2005 debut album, Nothing but the Water revealed a musically sophisticated young band inspired by the music of the late ʼ60s/early ʼ70s and fronted by a then-21-year-old dynamo whose nuanced singing, organ playing and songwriting belied her age. The follow-up, 2007ʼs This Is Somewhere, confirmed that the band had no interest in following trends but was instead in pursuit of timeless expression as it forged its identity. On 2010ʼs self-titled third album, GPN, toughened by a half decade of nonstop roadwork, flexed their rock ʼnʼ roll muscles and confirmed that they were in it for the long haul.

Now, seven years after hitting the radar, GPN take an exponential leap with the widescreen opus THE LION THE BEAST THE BEAT (Hollywood, June 12, 2012). With this musically combustible and conceptually dazzling work, the Vermont-based band forcefully takes its place alongside the best of its peers while building on the rich legacy of its inspirations. During this a la carte age, Grace Potter & the Nocturnals have boldly pushed against the current, making a bona fide album that demands to be heard in its entirety . . . not that its 11 songs donʼt utterly beguile on their own. “This album is really a different animal than our previous records—no pun intended,” says Potter. “I think what people love about us is the energy we generate playing together and feeding off each other,” says guitarist Scott Tournet. “Thereʼs a lot of drive in our band, and we managed to capture that on this record. We love the music that we cut our teeth on and itʼll always be part of us, but weʼve reached the point where weʼre consciously trying to push things forward.”

Less a concept album than a panoramic sonic terrain across which various thematic vectors collide and combine, THE LION THE BEAST THE BEAT “plays on the duality of human nature—the fact that we all have our demons and we all have the ability to be good.” Grace explains. “More than ever, I think outside perception affects how we view ourselves... I started thinking about these archetypes: everyone perceives a lion as a powerful, glorious animal and a beast as a flawed, scary, unpleasant creature...but thatʼs just on the outside. You only have to read a few childrenʼs fables to see those themes: the ʻCowardly Lionʼ from The Wizard of Oz, the Beast from Beauty and the Beast – Iʼm fascinated by the idea that we all hold such a broad spectrum of impulses and how we choose to act on them makes us who we are.” THE LION THE BEAST THE BEAT represents a rite of passage for a band that is knocking on the door of greatness. “This process was more painstaking than on any other record weʼve made; a complete labor of love and hate. I credit the Nocturnals for courageously jumping off that cliff with me,” Potter acknowledges. “We all took a risk and I hope that resonates when people hear the album.”