Guerilla Toss will put out their impressive new LP Eraser Stargazer next month by way of DFA Records, and we heard its first single “Diamond Girls” earlier this year. The band’s latest was inspired by the Grateful Dead and meditation, and frontperson Kassie Carlson explained how it came about in a press release:

The song Grass Shack stemmed from a long thought on a car ride one night about the lyrics to a Grateful Dead song reading:

“Don’t hang your head, Let the two time roll
Grass Shack nailed to a pinewood floor
Ask the time? Baby I don’t know
Come back later, we’ll let it show.”

These words and the way which they are sung on this particular recording, melted into my ear and pined away at me, repeating for days. The phrase really emphasized the fragility of life. Pine is a notoriously soft wood. I remembered this from the window sills in my grandfathers house that were always easily scratched from the slightest bump or hard nudge. He had given me a ruler with all the different types of wood on it that are commonly used in building houses including cedar, oak, maple etc. the idea of a shack woven with tiny thin blades of grass, gently swaying in the breeze and a soft pine, easily scratched floor really reflected some aspect of the delicacy of everything that I was feeling at the time.

This is another song that hints at the importance of centering yourself and checking in so not to overlook the tiny pieces of beauty. Often times shit can get blurry, fuzzy and muted with not a clear direction or solution. Repeating, there are many ways to look at any one issue.

There’s a distinct difference between falling asleep to the TV blaring in the background or to just an open window… Both drown out the silence and certain patterns can be used like counting sheep. A certain type of meditation called a body scan is is something I do a lot. It is the act of assessing every part of your body to bring yourself back to reality. In this way, lacking want and need; just being in the now. Next, starting to assess everything around you. After a few minutes, you’re like “Oh right, I’m just a girl in the world” and there’s no reason to spiral and stress out so hard. The grass shack is just swaying.

Listen below.

Eraser Stargazer is out 3/4 via DFA Records.