Derrick Sherman (Sainthood Reps) has announced his solo project, Grist Mil, with the release of his mesmerizing new single “Sea Of Trees.” The track takes a sonically atmospheric approach with haunting vocals and a repetitive, yet captivating guitar line. Lyrically, “Sea Of Trees” is centered around a death fantasy, echoing some of the struggles that Sherman was facing in real life during the time the track was written.
The song marks the first taste of music from Grist Mil’s upcoming EP, Young Dudley, out April 17th. The EP was recorded with long-time collaborator and producer Mike Sapone, and mastered by Brett Romnes (I Am The Avalanche). Writing Young Dudley gave Sherman the chance to thoroughly self-explore in a way he hasn’t been able to with previous projects, learning valuable lessons about who he is as a person and an artist.
On writing the track, Sherman stated:
“I started to write this song one morning in the back of the van outside of a hotel while on tour somewhere in Texas. The tour wasn’t going well, a few of us (in the band) were really tired of each other by that point. I just wanted to go home and get away from everyone for a while. We were stuck together for another couple of weeks and I couldn’t bare the thought of having to stick it out. I just wanted to die or be left behind. To be somewhere quiet and alone, seemed like luxury I wouldn’t be able to afford.”
Derrick Sherman has been a staple of the Long Island music scene since his teenage years. Over the course of his career, he’s found national success with his own projects, like The Reunion Show and Sainthood Reps, and toured the world a member of such pivotal bands as Brand New and Tiger Jaw. His life was one spent pursuing his passion for music when, in 2016, priorities changed. He got married, opened a successful business and, for the first time since he began playing music, went almost a full year without strumming a guitar. He struggled to cope with the massive shift in his life and, as grateful as he was for the success he’d found off stage, continued to long for the catharsis that music allowed him.
In this period of soul-searching, the genesis of his new solo project, Grist Mil, was born.
Sherman doesn’t know what exactly prompted him to pick up a guitar again, but once he did, it was as though a part of himself that had been locked away was reborn. The seeds of what would eventually grow into Young Dudley were planted in December of 2018 when Sainthood Reps went into the studio with producer Mike Sapone (Oso Oso, The Front Bottoms, Boston Manor). While creating the EP, Sherman tapped into his archive to pull out the best elements of his previous writing. As it was Sherman’s first time recording solo, he was liberated by being unencumbered by a band or label’s timeline. Over the course of almost a full year, the songs gradually took shape as they meandered and evolved alongside Sherman’s tastes. As music fans discover Grist Mil, they will get to know the authentic representation of who Sherman is as a person, drawn to the relatable self-exploration ingrained in the Young Dudley EP.