Grizzly Bear multi-instrumentalist Ed Droste has revealed that he’s now an associate therapist. Self-described as “the next stage of my career,” his independent practice offers virtual and in-person counseling for adults and teenagers in the Los Feliz neighborhood of Los Angeles. “If you know anyone seeking a therapist in California, please don’t hesitate to share my contact details,” Droste wrote on Instagram. “My psychology today profile is linked up in my bio, or you can reach me via my supervisor’s website www.laurenmarimon.com. Thank you all so much for your support!”
Although it’s been six years since Grizzly Bear last released an album, 2017’s Painted Ruins, Droste himself hasn’t been entirely removed from music. He hopped on a handful of other artist’s songs afterwards, including Haerts’ “For the Sky” and Morrissey’s “Morning Starship.” Come 2020, however, Droste revealed on the podcast Lunch Therapy that he left Grizzly Bear to enroll in graduate school for psychology.
“Mental health has always been really fascinating to me. There was a delicate balance to touring and keeping your shit together,” Droste explained on Lunch Therapy. “[Band life] wore me down, I got so exhausted with it, and also I wasn’t appreciating it enough anymore. [Studying psychology] is a welcome change… Another reason that I was excited to leave the music industry indefinitely—or maybe come back, never say never—was that I was tired of having my success/career linked to public perception and reaction. I figured out how to deal with it for the most part, but it weighs you down.”
Droste recently discussed his experience as a gay man in the indie rock scene for Pitchfork‘s feature “The Secret Gay History of Indie Rock.” Read more about Grizzly Bear’s influence in “The 200 Most Important Artists of Pitchfork’s First 25 Years.”
