On Freak Accident, Al Menne Chooses Quiet Magnetism and Disarming Grace
The Great Grandpa vocalist's debut album sports a badge of well-earned bravery

In 2019, the Seattle indie rock band Great Grandpa put out Four Of Arrows, one of the best albums of the year—and a project that has only grown in reputation since its release. As we all know, there have been several hairpin turns in the collective’s narrative since that moment—changes which, in part, have led to this, the first solo effort from lead singer Al Menne. Though Menne’s voice has always been of the defining characteristics of Great Grandpaf, with its expansive range, ragged edge, and pure potency, this is the first time Menne has taken on primary songwriting duties. The result is an album of both influence and ingenuity, one that sees Menne try on a few hats as he comes into his own as a songwriter and storyteller but draws you in throughout and, during the record’s best moments, absolutely blows you away.
It may be easy—and a bit obvious—but I can’t really start anywhere but the beginning when delving into Freak Accident. “Kill Me Now,” the first album’s first single and opening track, is the kind of song that’s difficult to write about without sounding effusive to the point of fanaticism. For a burgeoning songwriter like Menne to write such an affecting, tightly-wound, and captivating song is a feat difficult to overstate.
That isn’t to say this is coming completely out of nowhere; it’s true Menne was not the primary songwriter force behind Great Grandpa, but their lyricism and incredible sense of melody are all over Four Of Arrows. In particular, “Bloom” remains one of the best songs the band ever wrote—and Menne’s way with words is a primary reason why. “I get anxious on the weekend when it feels like I’m wasting time, then I think about Tom Petty who wrote his best songs when he was 39,” is a lyric I think about a lot when stuck in a spiral of self-loathing and misplaced anxiety. “Kill Me” is a similarly astute look at the throes of helpless attraction, taking the question “Do you remember sayin’ it scared you to death to know how much I love you?” and thinly spreading it over months of pain and confusion.