LISTEN: GREBE’s “Insurance” Is Cathartic Indie Rock With Moving Songwriting & Psychedelic Undertones

Atlanta slow-core quartet GREBE announce their debut full-length, Hell Diver, out April 17 via Indecent Artistry and Rope Bridge. 

Self-described as “boot-gaze shoe-core birdbath”, GREBE covers a lot of ground, drawing lines between slow-core, shoegaze, alternative, and modern indie rock sounds. This conglomerate of genres is evident on their self-released Spring 2025 debut EP, If You Squint It’s All Soup, a five-song collection showcasing the group’s dynamic sound, versatility, and clear-eyed lyricism. Hell Diver builds on these principles, upping the ante tenfold to manifest an apparition of the group’s collective tastes, influences, and collaboration. 

Lyricist and rhythm guitar player Kade Whitlark (they/them) grew up in the city, meeting and playing music with lead guitarist Logan Neely (he/him) and drummer William Gunnin (he/him) while still in high school. After a brief stint in Bisbee, Arizona spent writing, working, and living on a permaculture homestead, Whitlark returned to the city with a handful of songs and a desire to flesh them out. Whitlark called on their hometown comrades (along with new friend Miles Wakeman (he/him) on bass) to complete and counterpoint their compositions, forming GREBE. 

GREBE is quickly becoming an undeniable, cathartic force of nature in contemporary indie rock, and despite entering a burgeoning online scene, this four-piece has made quick work of carving out a lane for themselves. “Insurance,” the latest preview of the band’s upcoming debut LP, is an emotionally mesmerizing look at their intricate modern rock fusion and innate empathy, which they bring to their singular sound. The at times breathless vocal performance paints vivid images, evoking a palpable longing for normalcy without ignoring the soul-crushing realities that surround us. GREBE flips the feeling of social awkwardness into an even more relatable, worldly anthem, exploring the sometimes skewed priorities in modern times. The band delivers this message over crawling distortion that ebbs and flows along with the acrobatic vocals. GREBE is creating must-hear indie rock, and “Insurance” balances the band’s individuality with their urgent messaging. 

“‘Insurance’ is kinda about how jokes and conversations at parties and shows can feel kinda weird when the world is burning around us,” explains Whitlark when asked about GREBE’s new single. “Sometimes our jokes don’t land, sometimes we say the wrong things. When you look at the big picture, being concerned about how to socialize feels small when the world is on fire.”