All good things must come to an end, and it seems that Groovy Uncle is no exception. After 15 years and 14 albums, singer songwriter Glenn Prangnell is hanging up his guitar, although this won't be the last we hear from him. I spoke to Glenn about the 14th and final Groovy Uncle album, "The Dealbreaker", about Groovy Uncle in general and the virtues of DIY album production. Groovy Uncle, as fans already know, came into being in 2011 with "Play Something We Know". After the breakup of Goodchilde, Glenn's former bandmates all had their own projects to work on, and although he felt no inclination to play live, he did want to keep making music, leading to meeting Suzi Chunk on Myspace and writing for her on "Girl From The Neck Down". Glenn told me there was never a plan for Groovy Uncle to be as long lasting as it became, and the intention was just to make music, which gradually snowballed into further albums. Obviously with such a huge catalogue of work to choose from there are going to be favourites, and Glenn admits to having a soft spot for "Persuaded", partly for the songs and partly for how much fun the album was to make.
In the years since Groovy Uncle started, there have been a huge supporting cast of musicians involved, usually all recording together, but the restrictions of the pandemic led to Glenn taking a more DIY approach on the last few albums, and for "The Dealbreaker" he's on his own, apart from guest vocals from Jane Wrangham on "Deja Vu", backing vocals from regular collaborator Jules Winchester and spoken word from James Worse, who fans will remember from "A Clip Round The Ear's" "Oil and Colour Man". I asked if there was a slight element of showing off in playing everything himself, which got a wry chuckle 'yeah, a little bit'. Glenn told me the DIY approach pushed him to work harder at the elements that he doesn't usually do, and the end result is a very polished, intricate album. "The Dealbreaker" is not a 'standard' Groovy Uncle album, whatever that may be. It was originally intended to be darkly funny, but just became pretty dark, although there are flickers of trademark humour. Written between October 2024 and September 2025, there is a strong political influence to some tracks, and a general reflection on the mood of society. It's a bit angry, a bit reflective and decidedly thoughtful. The lyrics to "I Soldier On" are especially poignant; 'it's not much of a leap from a day without care to a night without sleep', and "On A Sixpence" riffs on the uncertainty of life. The instrumentals groove along nicely, with a particularly authentic Sixties bass sound on "Escape Goat", and there's a slightly spooky feel to some of the tracks, inspired by experimental arrangements recorded with Jane Wrangham. "You Are Loved" stands out as more of a classic Groovy Uncle track, a reassuring ballad that feels like an auditory hug.
"Sixty Odd Years" (double meaning intended ) closes out the album as a look back, but reassures us that Glenn's not done yet, and although this may be the end of Groovy Uncle there is still more music to come. I asked Glenn why he's decided to call time on the project, and much of it comes down to the financial side of making and selling physical records, but he also explained that any future projects will be free from the idea of what a Groovy Uncle album should sound like. Because of the breadth of genres Glenn covers, I've never really thought that there was a particular blueprint, but he's right; we expect a bit of those powerhouse singers Suzi Chunk and Miss Modus, some witty wordplay, soaring strings, poignancy and a sprinkling of nostalgia. Where's he going to go next? Physical records are off the table for now, but there may be downloads, and there is a very wide ranging selection of covers on the way. Glenn told me that he views writing songs in much the same way as John Lennon did; a series of postcards from where you are now. 'After all, what's the point in having a mind if you can't change it?' Wherever his musical travels take him next, I'm sure we'll be in for a treat.
- Amy K-B, October 2025
You can buy the CD or Download of "The Dealbreaker" and more goodies from the Groovy Uncle back-catalagoue at their Bandcamp site here. You can check out our previous features on Groovy Uncle in our Blog archive here. Album cover artwork by Darryl Hartley.
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