Meet Groupthink, the Artist Soundtracking Your Sleepless Summer in 'before the afters'
Raunchy like 30h!3, optimistically alternative like easy life, Chicago-bred Groupthink is revitalizing indie-sleaze. Upon the release of his debut EP before the afters, it’s best you get your hands on him before the rest of the world does—though he’d probably be into it.
Thrifting a keyboard on a whim and entering the musical realm relatively recently, he’s picked up heavy speed for an artist who should still be finding his footing. His breakout single “Dancing on my Grave,” featuring alternative pioneer Kennyhoopla, has set the stage for who he is as a musical act: provocative, glitchy, and untamed. And even then, Groupthink doesn’t stray from experimenting with breaking off bits of '80s intergalactica, most notably in his 2022 EP Guilty Pleasure, which features the standout single “Sex is a Sport.” Infectious to his very core, he could make a room full of graves come alive.
Featuring standout tracks like “Was I Supposed To Care?” and “KILLERS,” before the afters is experimental and thrilling. If there was a subgenre of music tailored to every red cup-ridden house party, Groupthink would champion the sound. He’s found his niche in weaponizing our vices, throwing glitter on our shame and making art out of the hangovers we struggle to survive. Electrifying every room he sets foot in, his lead single “Dressed for a Funeral” is proof he’s only getting started, teaming up with Sunday Scaries on the club-ready track.
What’s most notable about Groupthink is his ability to checkpoint where we are as cultural cyborgs, living messy lives physically and dressing it up digitally. He’s peeking at our close friends stories and spitting back out at us our truth. As he debuts to the world with this disruptively alt-pop EP, our only job is to strip more layers for the sleepless summer he’ll surely be soundtracking.
Going from being intimidated to perform in front of his musical classmates to creating individualistic music that’s both naked and complex, Groupthink stands as proof that if you make what you want to consume, and are brave enough to be bad at it at first, you’ll meet your stardom on the other end.
Listen to before the afters below:
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