''Death of an Optimist'' is the debut studio album by Canadian-American musician

Grandson Family (from la, familia) is a group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its members and of society. Idea ...

. The album was released on December 4, 2020, through

Fueled by Ramen Fueled by Ramen LLC is an American record label owned by Warner Music Group and distributed by 300 Elektra Entertainment. The label, founded in Gainesville, Florida in 1996, is now based in New York City. History John Janick conceived of the l ...

Background and recording

Benjamin's EP, ''A Modern Tragedy, Vol. 3'' was released on September 13, 2019. After the release of the third and final EP of the ''A Modern Tragedy'' trilogy, Grandson began working on his first studio album. The album was first announced on September 23, 2020, with the single "Dirty".

Music and composition

In an interview with ''

NME ''New Musical Express'' (''NME'') is a British music, film, gaming, and culture website and brand. Founded as a newspaper in 1952, with the publication being referred to as a 'rock inkie', the NME would become a magazine that ended up as a f ...

'', Grandson said that ''Death of an Optimist'' is a critical outlook of the current state of affairs and of the year 2020 in general saying, "it is both an origin story and an obituary navigating hope, anxiety, and the state of optimism in 2020."

Reception

Initial reaction to the album has been positive. David McLaughlin of ''Kerrang!'' praised grandson's blending of sounds, saying, "Here’s an artist unafraid of flexing his creativity, exploring sounds from whatever genre tickles his fancy." The ''Rock Matters Podcast'' said, "It’s very much a millennial coming of age album. It’s a guy in his mid-20s trying to cling to hope that real change for a better future is possible. And credit to Grandson. He definitely sounds like he's in for the fight."

Track listing

Charts

References