Grand Courriers
Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States | Established. Jan 01, 2014 | SELF
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Press
Brady Lundy and Don Lawson aim for cinematic perfection on 'Rejoice', their first track as Grand Courriers. The Minneapolis duo scarcely stray from the North American indie/folk canon laid out by bands like Beirut, but those little bursts of brass, big joyous lifts, and scattershot beats pitch these guys closer to The National's glorious 'High Violet' than anything, or anyone else.
SOCIAL: @grandcourriers
Hear Them: soundcloud.com/grand-courriers - NME
A captivating twist on the indie-pop formula features on this self-release from the up-and-coming Minnesota-based duo, Grand Courriers.
The project of best friends Brady Lundy and Donald Christian Lawson IV, Grand Courriers ramshackle onto the indie/folk-pop scene by proving that they are more than capable of cutting their teeth on their self-produced and self-released debut track, “Rejoice”. With the distinct charm of the well-loved twang of folk guitars combined with hectic horns, drums and vocals that conjure up classic Americana, “Rejoice” is reminiscent of a mixture of early Beirut and “Knife”-era Grizzly Bear, but with a less polished finish and with a genuine, heartfelt folk underbelly that recalls the authenticity of the late, great Jason Molina’s, Songs: Ohia.
With a musically shambolic and enigmatic melody that allows you to drift in and out with, “Rejoice” is the kind of track that you can load up, press play and listen to on repeat, and still appreciate the different spurts of brass and change in tempo/vocals each time. The song is somewhat chaotic, but totally cultivates this – and, in doing so, is a completely enthralling release that also manages to keep whatever Grand Courriers might be up to next somewhat in the dark.
Captivating listening with a hint of secrecy – who doesn’t appreciate the element of surprise? - The Line Of Best Fit
There’s paying homage to the sounds that came before you, and then there’s straight-up biting the innovators of old. When it comes to the throwback sound of the new Minneapolis duo, Grand Courriers, they may have hints of countryside influences and infused folk-rock from the ’60s in their sound, but there’s no mimicking here, because, as personified on their enlightening debut, “Rejoice”, we find the duo meshing the particular imprints of old with a new, polished look. “Rejoice” is their debut, and, in addition to serving as a necessary effort to mix up your daily musical intake, it’s more than enough to generate excitement for what’s to come from the duo in the future. - Hilly Dilly
I may be two months late, but Rejoice, the debut track from Minneapolis based Grand Courriers, is one of the finest tracks I’ve heard this year. Since stumbling across it a week or so ago I’ve been racking my brain trying to come up with comparisons to make and adjectives to describe this song, but sometimes just listening is enough.
From the sparse blurts of brass and slide guitar to the beckoning vocals and triumphant closing section, I am still fully captivated for the entirety of track, despite being many listens in.
Stream Rejoice below: - Crack In The Road
Le groupe Grand Courriers vient de mettre en ligne son nouveau titre, Taking.
Brady Lundy et Donald Christiaan Lawson IV forment ce duo de Minneapolis qui invite à la découverte et aux voyages.
Ecoutez Taking, deuxième titre de Grand Courriers, et n’hésitez pas à suivre le duo sur Facebook ou Soundcloud. - Pause Musicale
Introducing an indie folk-rock duo from Minnesota called Grand Courriers, who are today sharing their woozy new single ‘Taking’.
If you conjure up thoughts of Beirut, Grizzly Bear and Real Estate as you slide into this one, you’ll be very pleased with the way ‘Taking’ makes you feel. In fact it should really be called ‘Giving.’
The duo Donald Christiaan Lawson IV and Brady Lundy began making tunes together in February 2014 and soon after shared this stunning debut single, ‘Rejoice.’
Grand Courriers do have a self-titled debut EP due out sometime in November. Stay tuned for further details on that. - Acid Stag
Creating an all-engrossing, immersive sound isn’t easy, and many bands can spend their whole careers striving to capture that effortlessly grand nuance to their material, a culmination of elements that prompt people like us to overuse words like ‘soaring’ and ‘athemic’ to explain a track that overall just sounds pretty massive.
It is with some surprise then that this week saw us introduced to Grand Courriers, a Minnesota two piece who already seem to have a definitive sound down to a tee, despite only forming in February this year.
What they have so far is pretty special, building upon familiar cinematic indie foundations by adding a slapdash shambolic edge, almost bringing the unpredictability you get from a live show into their recorded material, whilst still managing to sound remarkably fully formed and calculated.
We’re slightly ashamed to have missed out on ‘Rejoice’, the debut single from the duo that caused a bit of a stir earlier this year, but we’re glad to have caught these chaps before their imminent ascent, with their stunning follow up track capturing our attention immediately.
Urgent and passionate, Taking’s real beauty lies in the polarisation of melancholic lyrical content with grandiose, majestic instrumentation, a trait that only few bands have managed to command properly in the past. Vulnerability comes in spades amongst a collision of brass, guitars, pianos and lo-fi fuzz, a barrage of different elements tied together with an Americana-doused sense of nostalgia.
This is the first time we’ve heard Grand Courriers, and it sure as hell won’t be the last.
A four track EP is expected from these guys in November, for now though check out ‘Taking’ below: - When The Gramophone Rings
The second helping today is Grand Courriers, a new band hailing from Minneapolis, MN who have a sublime indie-rock vibe.
Currently unsigned, the band recently released their debut track entitled 'Rejoice', a beautifully crafted track reminiscent to that of Grizzly Bear. Check it out below now and watch out for more from Grand Courriers in the future!
If you would like to learn more about Grand Courriers and like what you hear from the clip, please check out the band's pages below.
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Soundcloud - Hearty Vibes
Rejoice, Rejoice. I’m a sucker for indie music. This is an indie track. Similar to what you would hear in an Local Natives song, the Grand Courriers deliver a melodically pleasing track well rounded with humility. Soft and slow, yet powerful and to the point. Wouldn’t expect this duo to go on a world tour anytime soon, but that’s not to say they did a killer job putting Rejoice together. You can tell there was a lot of work put into the production of the song. All the way from Arizona, I say solid work to the Grand Courriers from Minneapolis. - Casablanca Sunset
Minnesotan duo Grand Courriers recently released their debut single, the folk tinged pop number ‘Rejoice’. Check out the originally impressive track from the newcomers below. On the strength of this, they're definitely on the watchlist. - Indie30
While we’re listening to happy music, here’s Rejoice by Grand Courriers, self-released on Soundcloud last month and recorded at home and at Roosevelt Recordings by two best friends from Minneapolis, Brady Lundy and Donald Christiaan Lawson IV (you have such a regal name, dude).
Rejoice – Grand Courriers - Twitter | Facebook | Soundcloud - Music Between Friends
There's a new band coming up on the horizon that goes by the name of Grand Courriers. Reigning from Minnesota, these guys channel a rocking folk sound filled with Beirut-like horns and melancholy Alt-j vocals that are warming to the soul. Things remain in a slower form until the very end where a sun-filled rock break down builds to the last seconds of the song leading off into the blazing sunset on the horizon. The band, consisting of Brady and Donald, who have known each other since they were young and music has always been infused in their friendship eventually leading to the creation of this wondrous band. A glory of folk and rock for a debut is the perfect way to make an everlasting impression on a listener, and Grand Courriers have done just that. - Oblivious Pop
Grand Courriers were a submission, and we’re so happy to have gotten it. There’s something really interesting going on in “Rejoice” – it’s unpredictable, but hangs together so well. Very exciting start for Brady and Donald. “This song was made in Minnesota, when it was -20 degrees Fahrenheit outside. Here, we make music to stay warm.” - Don't Need No Melody
We first featured Minneapolis duo Donald Christiaan Lawson and Brady Lundy's Grand Courriers project back in March and their first single 'Rejoice'. While we were very much impressed by that, we're even more so by their latest track 'Taking', a soaring, wide eyed, brass driven cinematic experience that, at a click over three minutes, is over all too quickly. Take a listen below and look our for their four track debut EP in November. - Indie 30
Discography
Still working on that hot first release.
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Bio
With their unique brand of alt-rock infused americana, which Crack in the Road described as “combining the hazy, psychedelic vibes of Tame Impala with the sort of songwriting that wouldn’t look out of place on Frightened Rabbits’ The Midnight Organ Fight”, Grand Courriers returns with their self titled EP. Comprised of the hazy wistful guitars of Donald Christiaan Lawson IV and the magnetic voice of keyboardist Brady Lundy, Grand Courriers’ use of warm brass woven in and out of their cinematic indie rock garnered them much acclaim throughout 2014. Recorded over the course of winter at studios in Oregon and Minnesota, the self produced EP is showing promise of being one of the most exciting alt-rock debuts of the year.
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