Thrumming with an unadulterated edge, Theater Party is the latest single from New York based band Meyru, and a featured track off their sophomore album, Slow Up. Returning to the stripped down, idle energy of 90s grunge rock, Slow Up was recorded entirely live, exposing the uninhibited vitality of the band’s everchanging persona. In Theater Party, Meyru finds themselves taking the genre of rock to a new elevation, combining elements of mellow modern day indie, with the unabashed anarchy of authentic rock.
Existing in some form or another since 2020, Slow Up was composed by the band’s members Nic Grunewald, Steven Spiegel, Tommy Gambon, Matt Langner, and Tyler Brown as a personal snapshot of life during the making of the album. Created in part with Pinegrove engineer Sam Skinner and long-time producing collaborator Cal Maro, the sound for the band’s second album evokes the distinct charismatic charm that sets Meyru apart.
In discussing how Theater Party meshes into the vividly feverish tracklist, Meyru explained,“It's the first song we wrote for the album and it sets the tone for the whole record as the opener. There's a sense of unnerving and paranoia throughout the track. With the help of Sam Skinner we finally got the live and roomy drum sound we've been chasing for a long time.”
Throughout Theater Party, Meyru relies on a specific mystique that tiptoes the line between distressing, and laid-back, beginning with a twang-like guitar that creates an air of easy-going melody. Similar to the primal soundscapes of Fiona Apple, the instrumentation speaks for itself and the arrangements give the illusion of an overall larger orchestration. Grunewald’s vocals have a refined, but gentle rasp that mimics the unnerving nature of the song structure.
Choosing to record the album live gives Meyru an indisputable presence that extends beyond your car radio, transporting you to the audience of one of their live performances. This track in particular carries a steady inertia that feels equal parts enthralling, and harrowing, finding resolution in a crashing symphony at the end.
It takes a certain nerve to be able to delve into the vulnerability of live recording, much less on your second album. However, for Meyru, it allows them to meet listeners on a new level sonically, offering their sound up in its most honest form. Following the global success of their debut album, Good To See You, and the hit single, She, fans continue to resonate with the bizarre delight of the band’s unique musicality.
By Cassidy Copenheaver