When the artist Jordan Benjamin, known to everyone as grandson, released the single “Blood // Water” in the fall of 2017, it was a moment that grabbed your attention amid political tensions that were beginning to boil over in the United States. A song with a dark undertone that blends Rock, Hip Hop, and Electronic, it is grandson’s words that strike most, candidly speaking of corruption and greed as if it is a contamination threatening to kill us all. Quite powerful, the song would mark the young artist’s breakthrough with broader audiences, eventually peaking at 19# on the US Hot Rock Songs Charts, and has since gone platinum in various places around the world.
A fitting mainstream introduction to the sharp-tongued grandson, his sound followed a similar path, blending Rock, Hip Hop, and Electronic on his 2020 debut album Death of an Optimist and 2023’s I Love You, I’m Trying. Still, in 2025, he turns up the heat with something a bit different for album number three, INERTIA. Released on September 5, 2025, with an expanded edition arriving December 5, 2025, INERTIA finds grandson stripping back much of the more polished production and layers of electronic sound, replacing them with more straightforward Heavy Rock.
An interesting detour for grandson, who had been building quite a unique sound with his prior two albums, INERTIA is a deliberate move to add aggression to the equal intensity of his lyrics. As alluded to, a highly political lyricist who never shies away from discussing societal hypocrisy, corporate greed, and humanity’s overall downward trajectory, INERTIA puts it all under the microscope.
Released independently via his own label, XX Records, this was a move grandson accepted with open arms to challenge himself and keep the musical progression moving forward. As stated, leaving the electronic sounds behind, he teamed with a group of close friends to co-write live instrumentals and create the sound of a full live band for the album. Something that is a bit surprising once you put on the record, leading Producer Mike Crossey (who has worked with The 1975 and Arctic Monkeys) does a sensational job of metaphosizing grandson’s new music into this raw-sounding Rock persona.
Something that is refreshing and appealing, INERTIA as a whole is a pretty aggressive album that leaves no stone unturned in terms of the current conflicts in the world. Giving you a taste of this with the lead single “BRAINROT” (which arrived in late May 2025, when the album was announced) is a song that goes right for the gut, attacking the modern cesspool that is social media and how it is weaponized as a distraction. No matter your personal beliefs, this is hard to argue. With that, grandson continued to stay on the offense with subsequent singles such as SELF IMMOLATION,” and the George Orwell 1984 and Animal Farm inspired “GOD IS AN ANIMAL.”
Additionally, songs like “BURY YOU” hit hard, while “YOU MADE ME THIS WAY” and “LITTLE WHITE LIES” strike a raw nerve. With deeper aggression felt on songs like “WHO’S THE ENEMY” and “PULL THE TRIGGER,” perhaps the most universal outcry of rage comes with “AUTONOMOUS DELIVERY ROBOT,” which goes off on the widespread usage of artificial intelligence to replace humans, but also how technology has become our worst enemy. A perfect companion to it all is also the cover of Bob Dylan’s “MASTERS OF WAR” (which is a part of the expanded edition), where grandson does exceptionally well with translating it into something his own.
Welding profound messaging, much of what grandson is rapping/singing about is an accurate assessment of society and the downward spiral it is headed. Clearly, a very intelligent person with deep thought, grandson plotted an effective album in INERTIA that should be paid attention to, regardless of whether you agree with everything he says.
This raises another point: too often in the current social climate, we immediately shut down someone else because of an opinion we disagree with, rather than being open to discussion and finding common ground. Part of what grandson is speaking about throughout these songs, and right in the album’s title, INERTIA, he is issuing a warning that we all should stop following one path or another blindly without questioning. So, if you agree with your grandson, that is cool, and if some of what he is saying gets you agitated, that is good too. The objective is to feel and think about something. Imperative to consider before it is too late, Cryptic Rock gives INERTIA 4.5 out of 5 stars.
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