SONG: "China Beach"
ARTIST: Laura Jane Grace & The Devouring Mothers
ALBUM: "Bought To Rot"
YEAR: 2018
PLACE OF ORIGIN: Gainesville, Florida
YEARS ACTIVE: 1997 - present
WHAT I THINK THE SONG IS ABOUT:
The underlying message of China Beach is that despite the hardships and pain one may face, there is hope for healing and finding inner strength. The song encourages resilience and emphasizes the importance of self-reflection and self-care. You almost get a sense that the vocalist is having like an out of body experience and questioning herself at times and encouraging herself at other times.
LAURA JANE GRACE DISCOGRAPHY (Full length albums only):
2018 - Bought To Rot (Bloodshot Records)
* (Laura Jane Grace & The Devouring Mothers release)
* did not chart on the Billboard 200
2020 - Stay Alive (Polyvinyl Records)
* (Laura Jane Grace solo release)
* did not chart on the Billboard 200
MY THOUGHTS ON LAURA JANE GRACE:
Laura Jane Grace has been making music since the mid to late 90's, hailing from Gainesville, Florida. Of course, she is most well known as the vocalist/guitarist/songwriter for the punk band Against Me! With Against Me!, she released 7 full length studio albums along with a a slew of EP's, live albums and compilation albums over a 23 year period. She has said that Against Me! is on hiatus right now and have been since 2020. Laura Jane Grace's solo material first surfaced in 2008, before she transitioned and was still going by her birthname Tom Gabel. That was an EP titled "Heart Burns". She would support that EP by playing acoustic sets on the Revival Tour with Chuck Ragan and Tim Barry. In 2012, she announced she was going to transition to become a female and chose to be called Laura Jane Grace from that point on. In 2018, she formed a band called Laura Jane Grace & The Devouring Mothers and released the album "Bought To Rot". That band seemed to be a one off project as she would release her next album as a solo, 2020's "Stay Alive". Most recently, she released the EP "At War With Silverfish" in 2021. Her next full length is set to be released in February of 2024 and is titled "Hole In My Head". I'm a huge Against Me! fan so obviously I'm gonna check out anything that Laura Jane Grace does. Her solo stuff isn't too far off what Against Me! does. Though it's a little less punk. She's definitely exploring different sounds and genres while keeping that punk foundation with her solo material. I heard a couple of singles from her new album coming out in a couple months and i'm liking what i'm hearing right now. Maybe since Against Me! is on a hiatus right now, she feels comfortable creating a more punk album with her new solo project. With that being said, I hope Against Me! isn't done. They're just too f'n good a band to not continue. Hopefully, after Laura Jane Grace releases this new record and tours to support it, she can relight the fire under Against Me!
SIMILAR ARTISTS:
Against Me!
The Gaslight Anthem
The Menzingers
Alkaline Trio
Bad Astronaut
TEN LAURA JANE GRACE SONGS YOU SHOULD CHECK OUT:
1. Anna Is A Stool Pigeon
2. Apocalypse Now (& Later) (w/ The Devouring Mothers)
3. The Swimming Pool Song
4. The Airplane Song (w/ The Devouring Mothers)
5. Random Hearts
6. The Hotel Song (w/ The Devouring Mothers)
7. Day Old Coffee
8. Supernatural Possession
9. Blood & Thunder
10. Reality Bites (w/ The Devouring Mothers)
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