Stereo Six: New Miserable Experience’s David Grossman Divvies Up Some of His All-Time Favourite Records

New Miserable Experience is an interesting musical experience that is both unique and expansive. The band released their latest record, Gild The Lily, on January 23rd via Pelagic Records. This was preceded by the release of the single “The Devil We Know,” which provided a sampling of their inventive, original approach to heavy music.

The group features a highly talented and well-known amalgamation of members. With experience in bands like Rivers of Nihil, Rosetta, Revocation, and Model Prisoner, they wield a lot of deserved credibility. There is a deliberate attempt by the members of the band to emphasize careful craft over spectacle. The songs are well composed with clear melodies, precise dynamics, and well-textured production. Craft is favoured over spectacle, with each member contributing in their own unique way.

Gild The Lily features twelve new tracks, nicely arranged, favouring craft over bombast. The album combines alternative synth rock with layered guitars, with percussion and production that blends groove and tension with electronic distinction. Throughout the album, it is defined by clear melodies, strong dynamics, and well-textured production. The band has come a long way since its beginnings as a file trading collaboration between singer and bassist David Grossman (ex-Rosetta) and multi-instrumentalist Joshua Mahesh Kost (Model Prisoner). The band now features Rosetta drummer Bruce “B.J.” McMurtrie Jr., technical-metal bassist Brett Bamberger (ex-Revocation), and guitarist Brody Uttley (Rivers of Nihil).

David Grossman joins us today for a Stereo Six feature to share with us six albums that played a big part in the recording of Gild The Lily.

1. Puma Blue – In Praise of Shadows (Deluxe) (2021, Blue Flowers Music)

David Grossman: “I don’t even know where to start with this album. Anton Dang from O’Brother (who I’ll touch on later) turned me on to this project around two years ago, and I was instantly hooked. He described it to me as Massive Attack meets Jeff Buckley, which I think is extremely accurate. He does an incredible job of creating these cinematic pieces of music that also explore jazz and R&B. This is one of those albums that feels like someone took all of my favourite things and put them together to make my dream album. ‘Bath House’ is a song that will forever blow me away, from the lyrics to the vocal performance to the music. It’s an emotional tearjerker.

“I picked the deluxe edition because of the incredible live versions of some of the songs and the cover of ‘All I Need’ by Radiohead. Some other standout songs from this album are ‘Cherish (Furs),’ ‘Velvet Leaves,’ ‘Already Falling,’ ‘Oil Slick,’ ‘Opiate’ and ‘Super Soft.’

“We actually have a song on our new album that had the working title of ‘Puma Blue.’ I’ll let people try to figure out on their own which song it is.

“Lastly, he has a new album coming out on February 6th, 2026, titled Croak Dream. The two songs he’s released so far (‘Desire’ and ‘Croak Dream’) are as brilliant as anything he’s released.”

2. Crippling Alcoholism – With Love From A Padded Room (2024, Self-Release)

“These guys are absolutely brilliant and are carrying the torch for interesting noise rock. This is an album and band that all of us absolutely adore. They have an ability to create these incredible pop melodies in the context of noise rock. There are parts of what they do that remind me of Oxbow and Swans, but at the same time, they have their own unique sound. Someone described them as sounding like ‘David Bowie in hell,’ which is incredible. There is an aura of darkness around the lyrics, but it feels cathartic. My understanding is that each song is about a different person in solitary confinement telling ‘their story.’ With that being said, the album still feels very connected.

“This is an album that needs to be listened to in order and in its entirety. It’s a 10/10 record in my opinion, and is made even more impressive by the fact that they followed it up last year with another 10/10 album with the brilliant Camgirl.”

3. The Black Queen – Infinite Games (2018, Federal Prisoner)

“Greg Puciato is one of the most prolific musicians of our lifetime. From Dillinger Escape Plan to his solo records to his work with Jerry Cantrell and Better Lovers, to name a few. Partner him up with the equally prolific Joshua Eustis (Telefon Tel Aviv, Nine Inch Nails, Puscifier) and Steven Alexander, and magic is sure to happen. There’s a lot of incredible music created by these guys outside of this project, but this is the one that I’ve resonated with the most.

“Somehow, I completely missed these Black Queen albums when they first came out. I remember hearing the name, but for whatever reason, never got around to listening to it. When we dropped our first EP, Philosophy On Pessimism, someone compared it to The Black Queen, which made me finally take the time to check out the project. I was completely blown away and instantly felt like a fool for waiting so long to listen.

“This and Fever Daydream have not left my listening rotation for almost three years at this point. I love both albums, but have found myself personally drawn to Infinite Games slightly more. From the catchiness and danceability of ‘Thrown into the Dark,’ the moodiness of songs like ‘One Edge of Two’ and ‘Lies About You,’ and the pop brilliance of ‘100 to Zero’ and ‘Spatial Boundaries.’ I have a love of experimental and untraditional pop music, which this qualifies as. Another 10/10 album in my humble opinion.”

4. O’Brother – You and I (2020, Self-Release)

“O’Brother are the best of the post-metal bands in my humble opinion. I believe they have the most unique sound in the genre. They do an incredible job of writing these cinematic masterpieces of music, and Tanner Merritt is an absolutely brilliant vocalist. I hold him in the same regard as Jeff Buckley and Thom Yorke. He’s powerful when needed, restrained when necessary and has the ability to make you feel whatever emotion he’s trying to portray.

“This is another band where you can pick any album as your favourite. In the context of what we are doing with New Miserable Experience, You and I is the album that made the most sense to discuss. I probably listened to Endless Light more during the writing of Gild The Lily, but You and I probably had more of a sonic influence on us. In my opinion, this is the most experimental of their albums. There’s a cool balance between the traditional rock band setting, programmed drums and finger-picked acoustic guitars throughout the album.

“Some stand-out tracks from this one are ‘Soma,’ ‘Slipping,’ ‘Only Other,’ ‘Killing Spree,’ and ‘What We’ve Lost.’ Honestly, though, if you are reading this, please just listen to the whole album.”

5. Whirr – Raw Blue (2025, Free Whirl Records)

“This album was surprise-released on Christmas 2024 and completely captivated me right away. Raw Blue feels like the band is firing on all cylinders. Everything is perfect, from the songs to the artwork to the production decisions.

“The songwriting on this album is incredible. The opening guitar part in Raw Blue pulls you in right away. There are so many standout tracks it’s hard to decide which ones to highlight. ‘Collect Sadness’ is brilliant, ‘Everyday is the Same’ and ‘Days I Wanna Fade Away’ feel like soundtracks for day-to-day life. ‘Worries Bloom’ feels like a buzzsaw, and ‘Walk Through Space’ feels like the catchiest song to ever come out of shoegaze. The production on the vocals makes it feel like someone is whispering a secret to you while the music sounds driving and heavy.

“The artwork on this album is perfect in its simplicity. Brody and I both really loved this record. Both of us were lucky enough to be able to grab the “Christmas edition” version of the vinyl.”

6. [Curveball] Jeff Buckley – Sketches For My Sweetheart The Drunk (1998, Columbia Records)

“I’m listing this as a curveball simply because this is not the album people would usually talk about when discussing Jeff Buckley. The two most important musical discoveries for me were Alice in Chains when I was twelve years old and Jeff Buckley when I was 18 years old. Back in 2001, when I first got Grace, it felt like I was in on a secret that very few people knew. I was floored by his ability to sing, play guitar at such a high level and write these incredibly personal songs. Sadly, Grace was the only album we got during his lifetime.

“I felt a need to discuss Sketches For My Sweetheart The Drunk over Grace because it deserves its flowers, too. For those who don’t know, this is essentially an album that he didn’t feel comfortable releasing (disc one) and a collection of demos (disc two). Sadly, he didn’t have the chance to complete his second record before he tragically passed away.

“There’s a lot of brilliant material across this collection of songs. It would have been incredible to see where he ultimately decided to go with it. ‘Everybody Here Wants You’ might be one of the greatest R&B songs ever written. You can hear the influence that song had on our own song, ‘Infinite Sadness.’ You can hear the absolute brilliance of the song ‘I Know We Could Be So Happy Baby (If We Wanted To Be)’ despite the lack of quality of the recording. ‘Vancouver’ is another incredible song and one that he played frequently as an instrumental version (Watch the Live in Chicago DVD).

“‘Witches’ Rave’ has an incredible chorus showing off his incredible falsetto. ‘Opened Once’ and ‘Jewel Box’ are some of the saddest songs ever written. ‘Morning Theft’ is absolutely heartbreaking and feels like a soundtrack for failed love. ‘Nightmares By The Sea,’ ‘You and I,’ ‘Haven’t You Heard’ and a brilliant cover of ‘Satisfied Mind’ are some other standouts from this record.

“I’m aware that my voice does not resemble Jeff Buckley’s in the slightest, but his importance on me finding my voice can’t be understated. He’s on my Mount Rushmore of vocalists along with Layne Staley, Björk, and Mike Patton.”