Graham Price Gift Shop, an artist based in Brooklyn, offers a deeply personal and sonically detailed ten-song album titled “Love Is Whys”, which effectively encapsulates the beauty and chaotic nature of human connection. This album is the product of years of creative pursuit and collaboration, blending together a vintage warmth with modern indie tendencies. It feels like a record that was created out of love for the music, people and simply searching for the truth and authenticity within it, and one that is sure to last, whatever that may consist of.
Working in the Astoria-based Marcata Studios of upstate New York, the producer-engineer, Kevin McMahon (The Walkmen, Titus Andronicus, Real Estate), recorded the album, providing it with an unmistakable depth and texture reminiscent of analog studio quality. The result is a lush but intimate musical experience from Graham Price Gift Shop’s many roles of songwriter, producer and storyteller.
The album presents itself as a meditation on the role love shapes and distorts our behavior, from its healing embrace to its painful absence. As Mr. Rogers says, "Love really is the reason why all humans do anything, love or the absence of love." This ideology is the heartbeat of the project, lending itself to everything from its lyrical honesty to its musical palette.
As with many of Graham's projects, a team of collaborators plays an important role in this release Steve Tarkington, a longtime creative partner, stands out with his shimmering guitar work and Beach Boys-inspired harmonies; Alexx Becker's backing vocals and creative energies provide the album with emotional depth; Lillian Ruiz and Alyssa Forte's vocal performances add light and contrast to moments of introspection; Braulio Lin provides a classical guitar touch; and the album art by Shawn Cook, the artist behind Burning Man's ticket art for the last decade, gives perfect artistic spirit to the overall project.
Love Is Whys connects the past and present. Influences include The Beatles, The Beach Boys, and The Velvet Underground, plus current acts Tele Novella, Foxygen, and Angel Olsen. Synth textures layer over lo-fi folk structures, creating a sound that is serendipitously nostalgic and new. “Home” and “Lonely Too” both demonstrate Graham’s ability to balance vulnerability around universal themes, as "Home" arose from Graham’s experiences seeing homelessness while in California, ultimately becoming a chilling meditation on belonging and “Lonely Too” took the direct memory of Graham’s late father, while also being a self-described musician, into something lovely, melodic, and timeless.
Each song reads like an entry in an emotional diary, accurately perceiving an artist who desires to make music that matters to them, as Graham describes, “in this age of AI and rapid-fire everything, I want to make work that is sincere and slow and full of love.” Love Is Whys is not just an album, but an affirmation of humanity. With heartwarming lyrics, layered arrangements, and philosophical whisperings, Graham Price Gift Shop reminds us that love is the most genuine human experience, and love is the most powerful art.
Follow Graham Price Gift Shop for more amazing updates and performances:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/grahampricegiftshop/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/graham.diamonds/
Bandcamp: https://grahampricegiftshop.bandcamp.com/