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Spooky Mansion lead singer Grayson Converse has written songs in some pretty out-there places and situations. After all, he did once tell me that he wrote one of their best singles while on painkillers just after getting his wisdom teeth taken out.
Today (Aug. 27), the Los Angeles-via-San Francisco band return to release “Real Jerk,” a song they wrote while working at a recording studio in Southeast Asia last summer.
“I remember the 100-degree day in Cambodia when I sat at my kitchen table, struggling to keep my cheap nylon guitar in tune and picking out the melody for ‘Real Jerk,’” Converse writes. “Out my fourth story window, the jungle canopy extended as far as I could see. It was a great time to reflect and think about mistakes I’d made on the other side of the world, to come to terms with them, and to move on.”
The song sees the band push their surf-rock sound into a more polished direction, chock-full of more personal lyrics than ever, detailing a period when he was on a break with his partner. “You must believe I didn’t mean to start sooner than you / I just met someone cool / I’m sorry for that, I’m a real jerk / I just don’t want to be left alone,” he sings on the track’s chorus. He’s made some mistakes, and it’s time to own up to them.
“Real Jerk” serves as the lead single for the band’s forthcoming EP, That’s Me!, out on Oct. 29, when it will be released by Level via Warner Music Group. The James Riotto-produced EP follows their 2018 debut full-length Alright, a fun collection of songs filled to the brim with sunny guitar riffs and Converse’s unique and sultry voice.
The band has announced two EP release shows for October, one in their hometown, San Francisco, and another in their newly adopted Los Angeles, both with Tino Drima. Find those dates below, along with the lyric video for “Real Jerk.”
That’s Me! EP Artwork:
Spooky Mansion Tour Dates:
October
17 – San Francisco, Calif. @ Great American Music Hall (EP Release)
30 – Los Angeles, Calif. @ Moroccan Lounge (EP Release)