The bay area avant pop artist Grooblen today shares her new single “Gastropod”. This latest offering from songwriter/vocalist/multi-instrumentalist Ellie Stokes and company tears out of the gates with melodic abandon; setting the stage for what is hinted to be a busy year ahead.

In kaleidoscopic technicolor fashion “Gastropod” channels influence from psychedelia and cabaret to bring the dreampunk alter ego Grooblen to life. It may also be the only single you hear this year that features the adjective “fusiform”.

Reflecting on the track, Stokes says, “Gastropod grapples with some depressive tendencies after a series of dalliances that were very uncharacteristic to my personality. I was dealing with a breakup at the time and attempting to explain to my ex-partner that I was doing just fine.”

She continues, “the song sets out a journey where I begin as a “slug or snail”, seeking protection from the world within my “shell” at the cost of pushing away potential new friendships and relationships. By the end, though, I start to view myself as more of a human again, realizing that the “shell” was just a facade and that I am capable of growing on my own terms and personally uncovering pride in my accomplishments.”

“Gastropod” is accompanied by a vibrant visual shot across locations throughout Grooblen’s stomping ground of San Francisco and Oakland, CA. The video explores the message within “Gastropod”; contrasting the seeming freedom of the opening beach shots with Grooblen’s feeling of inauthenticity when dolled-up “inside” her shell in the later scenes.

Since their 2020 inception Grooblen has expanded from a solo endeavor featuring a rotating cast of supporting musicians into a project that lives a double life; a solo studio undertaking, and a trio on the stage featuring Alejandro Lara-Agraz (Bass) and Sean Aaron (Drums). On the way Grooblen has picked up new sounds and textures, exploring them with dauntless spirit. From the lo-fi minimalist beats of “Confused Humans” (2020) to the searching balladry of “R.E.M. Dog” (2021), to the spacey alt pop of “Escher Girl” (2022).

San Franciscan artist Grooblen returns today with “How Are You?”, a pensive cautionary tale about the slippery slope towards allowing yourself to be taken advantage of.

Grooblen singer/songwriter Ellie Stokes explains, “I think I inadvertently put myself into situations where I become the point person to do a favor for someone else, and in particular (more rare, now!) instances that becomes my only role… At one point last year, a lot of these moments were adding up and overwhelming me, and I realized that with certain folks, when I set that boundary of not just being the person to hit up for something, I was disregarded entirely.”

Veering between shimmering laid back jazz pop and swirling psychedelia “How Are You?” provides a place for Stokes to explore the sadness, confusion, and frustration of this situation. The song has been a pillar of the recent Grooblen live show and through those regular outings on stage was steadily workshopped into its final recorded form, captured in studio with no overdubs. Original Grooblen drummer (and brother of Ellie) William Stokes features on drums.

For the “How Are You?” video Stokes taps the striking animation talents of Ian Starling, who she shared a bill with on a solo jaunt to NYC back in 2022. The two quickly became friends, with Stokes noting “I still need to get a tattoo from him next time I’m out there! Ian is a very talented artist of many mediums and I thought his psychedelic style would be perfect for ‘How Are You?’.”

“How Are You?” is the second release from the upcoming FRIENDO EP (out April 10th) and follows the leadoff single “The Convenience Of Being”, which similarly tackled notions of one-way relationships; that time amongst deceptively breezy jangle pop.

The FRIENDO EP sees Stokes return to a collaborative partnership with bay-area producer Jim Greer (Foster The People, Handsome Boy Modeling School), who helmed the sessions for 2023’s A Wormhole Is A Freeway To The Stars. Greer is also responsible for putting the EP out via his own War Chant Records.

While only 4 songs in total, FRIENDO finds Grooblen far-reaching experiences as she reflects on friendship and its emotional implications; from what it means to be there for someone, to the times we rely on others, evolving friendships, minor breakups and the grief of truly losing friends who pass on.

While loss looms in the background throughout FRIENDO, the Grooblen lineup subverts it with vibrant arrangements courtesy of bassist Alejandro Lara-Agraz, backing vocalist Eva Alejandra, lead guitarist Spencer Lay, drummer Sean Aaron, and Jack Lillian (on flute for 'Feels Real'), backing Stokes’ vocals and guitars. The same trio who recorded Wormhole are all present here, but on FRIENDO they arrive more potent than ever on the back of a busy couple of years playing as a live unit.

FRIENDO was recorded over a few months in 2024 at Opus Studios in Berkeley, California. Cassette preorder and digital presave now available here.

Grooblen will appear at the 2025 installment of Treefort festival with a short Pacific Northwest tour there and back. Tickets here.

Grooblen Spring Tour 2025

March 20th - Lollipop Shoppe - Portland, OR

March 21st - Ghost Town Outfitters - Eugene, OR

March 22nd - Add A Ball - Seattle, WA

March 26th-30th - Treefort Music Festival - Boise, ID

April 1st - Quarters DLC - Salt Lake City, UT

April 2nd - The Press Club - Sacramento, CA

San Francisco artist Grooblen today shares the new EP FRIENDO. While only 4 songs in total, FRIENDO finds singer/songwriter Ellie Stokes evoking far-reaching experiences as she reflects on friendship and its emotional implications; from what it means to be there for someone, to the times we rely on others, evolving friendships, minor breakups and the grief of truly losing friends who pass on.

FRIENDO was announced with the release of the deceptively breezy tribute to feeling used, “The Convenience Of Being” and followed with the pensive reflection of a friendship devolved to transactions in “How Are You?”.

While loss looms in the background throughout FRIENDO, the Grooblen lineup subverts it with vibrant arrangements courtesy of bassist Alejandro Lara-Agraz, backing vocalist Eva Alejandra, lead guitarist Spencer Lay, drummer Sean Aaron, Jack Lillian on flute for “Feels Real” and Ellie’s brother William Stokes on drums for 'How Are You?', backing her vocals and guitars. The same trio who recorded 2023’s A Wormhole Is A Freeway To The Stars are all present here, but on FRIENDO they arrive more potent than ever on the back of a busy couple of years playing as a live unit.

The FRIENDO EP also sees Stokes return to a collaborative partnership with bay-area producer Jim Greer (Foster The People, Handsome Boy Modeling School), who helmed the sessions for Wormhole. Greer is also responsible for putting the EP out via his own War Chant Records.

FRIENDO was recorded over a few months in 2024 at Opus Studios in Berkeley, California. Limited edition cassettes available here. The cassette version of the EP also includes an exclusive b-side containing solo demos of all the EP songs. Says Stokes, “These were the little seed tracks I sent to the rest of the crew(blen haha) before we kind of formulated them into the fleshed-out versions you can hear and see live today.”