Brooklyn’s own Graham Price Gift Shop has thrown a cocktail of melody and grit into the 2025 music scene with their latest album, “Love is Whys”. This is a record that feels lived-in, a collection of songs forged in the crucible of pandemic isolation and hammered out with a sense of purpose. Released on September 4th, it’s a nerve of a rock record that isn’t afraid to get its hands dirty while exploring the universal, tangled mess of human connection.
The brainchild of the aptly named Graham Price, this project is far from a solo bedroom endeavour. Price is a ringleader, a curator of talent who has assembled a crack team of collaborators to bring his vision to life. The MVP here is undoubtedly Steve Tarkington, a six-string slinger whose history with Price stretches back over a decade through bands like I’m turning into and the Hairs. On “Love is Whys”, Tarkington releases lead guitar lines and, just as crucially, lays down a wall of those backing vocals that have the spirit of The Beach Boys at their most potent.
He’s backed by a formidable crew. Alexx Becker (Price’s fiancée and a playwright in her own right) adds vital backing vocals, weaving her voice into the album. Lillian Ruiz and Alyssa Forte step up to the mic for lead vocals on a couple of tracks, their voices adding distinct textures to Price’s narrative. And let’s not forget Braulio Lin, who lends a touch of classical guitar to one song, proving that this album’s sonic palette knows no bounds. Even the visuals are handled by a heavy-hitter: Shawn Cook, the artist behind Burning Man’s ticket art for the last ten years, provides the album’s cover, a perfect visual prelude to the journey within.
Price laid down the bedrock—acoustic guitar, synths, bass, leads, and vocals—in the confines of his Brooklyn apartment. But the soul of the record was captured upstate at the legendary Marcata Studios, a converted 1800s barn that has been the hallowed ground for bands like The Walkmen and Titus Andronicus. Here, under the expert guidance of producer/engineer Kevin McMahon, the album found its muscle. McMahon, a legend in his own right, is the architect behind the album’s colossal drum sound—a “lush, dirty, rich, fat” tone that gives every track a powerful, chest-thumping heartbeat. The rock and roll pedigree doesn’t stop there; McMahon mastered the final product on a tape machine he bought from the legendary Bob Ludwig, the very same machine used to master Kate Bush’s “The Sensual World.” That history isn’t just a cool factoid; you can feel it in the warm, analog saturation and the uniquely “dirty, rich, round” finish of the record.
“Love is Whys” is a bold look at the forces that drive us. The title itself is philosophical, positing that love, or the lack of it, is the root of every human action. Price doesn’t shy away from the political, observing how the pure desire to protect loved ones can be cynically twisted by those in power to breed fear and line their own pockets. But it’s also deeply personal, tracing the arcs of relationships from their bright beginnings to their sombre ends. Tracks like “Home” and “Lonely Too” are standouts, not just for their catchy hooks, but for their emotional weight. “Home” was born from a drive through a tent city, a stark observation on the universal yearning for safety and belonging. “Lonely Too” is even more personal, built from a fragment of a melody sung by Price’s late father, Bart Bishop, an accomplished musician himself. The song transforms a childhood memory into a biting, catchy retort to the emotionally careless.
In an age of AI-generated art and disposable content, Graham Price Gift Shop has made something defiantly human. “Love is Whys” is a rock record with its heart on its sleeve and a sneer on its lips.
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