When it’s raining outside and outdoor activities fall out of question, it feels pretty wonderful to sit by the window or a roofed terrace with a cup of tea, enjoying the fresh rain scent. There is one thing that could take the experience further, and that’s music. Piano music, to be more specific. And speaking of piano music, we have a new EP odd just that for you to check!
The EP you’re about to hear comes from a composer and pianist Grant Borland. He has been writing music for the last 15 years, but only renegotiate started releasing his works under his own name. Making use of sampling and electronic elements to create his immersive worlds, its not surprising to learn his music has found traction in the world of soundtracks, specifically movie trailers and tv networks like Discovery, Apple TV, Netflix and many more.
His newest release sees a departure from all things orchestral, samples and electronica. Instead it’s a fruit grown from limitation, in this case its a mostly piano-based EP. The neoclassical release is titled “Fragments” and it carries 5 short yet delightful pieces. While at the core the EP holds simplicity, the beautiful melodies and rhythmic variations present here show clearly that limitations are sometimes the best source of greatness.
“The Fragments EP came about at the beginning of the year when I started experimenting around with a new sustain pedal for my keyboard. As a composer I’m honestly surprised I went so long without one, It made playing the keyboard feel more like a real piano in that sense, and I think I started getting new ideas from that. It inspired me to start writing music a bit differently, and I wanted to try writing some solo piano tracks and practice using this sustain pedal in real time (I had been programming sustained notes in manually, and that whole process felt uninspiring). Sometimes it’s the smallest little upgrades around your studio that inspire great ideas, it just so happened to inspire a whole EP of music this time.
Grant Borland
I was really inspired by composers such as Nils Frahm and Hania Rani. Both composers give so much life to the piano, and it’s taught me to listen to piano music much differently. I think some of that influence can be heard on some tracks on this EP, but it’s also very much authentic to my own sound too. I have a background in writing cinematic music for advertisements, trailers, commercials, etc…., so I think there is that undertone that probably separates my work from others. While this album feels experimental, I’ve been told my close friends and family that it also sounds like something that could be part of a movie score as well.”
The whole EP sounds like life-bringing rain in springtime, where the shimmery repeating rhythmic elements embody raindrops, and the rest of the atmosphere depict everything growing and expanding into something greater. The title track is like the first, stronger burst of rain that feels incredibly reinvigorating, and the following piece “Unfold” unfolds the magical little world that just burst into life. There are quiet peaceful parts between the rhythmic notes, and there is meditative calmness during them as well. Beautiful glistening melodies dancing on top of the body of “Moss”, slowly growing more incredible before falling into ether. Calm nocturnal melodies of “Heirloom” embrace, a distant percussion giving a feeling of immediacy. And the melodic journey ends with smooth melodic runs navigating rhythmic stabs in “Father”, a piece full of texture and movement.
With the new EP, Grant Borland also hopes to bring more attention to the genre of neoclassical music, especially piano music, as it’s not really seen as music to listen to with attention:
“Unfortunately I think classical piano music is severely underrated these days, and I hope to draw some new ears not only to my music, but the genre as a whole. There’s so many great modern classical composers out there that deserve to be heard, and I’m happy to contribute a body of work like this to the world.”
Grant Borland
I think “Fragments” is a wonderful EP that will make a great companion for anyone who loves beautifully composed piano music and the shimmering emotive worlds they bring! 
Don’t forget to support this project and to follow on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, TikTok, YouTube, and Spotify. You can also check out his official website. If you enjoy this music and are able to provide monetary support, you might consider downloading it on Bandcamp.
You can obviously find it in the following Playlists: Less Than 1,000 Followers, Fresh Singles, Chill – Folk – Acoustic, 12 New Songs This Week, Track Of The Day, and Take It Easy.
P.S. If you enjoy discovering new artists and fresh new music you can subscribe to this blog Less Than 1,000 Followers and follow the Playlist with all the artists that we have presented here!!!
This coverage was created via MusoSoup #Sustainablecurator
