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Grayscale

Change EP

Written by: TL on 20/04/2015 20:10:19

Grayscale is the name of a young quintet of dudes from Philadelphia who put out their first album "Leaving" in 2013, and who have been planning to follow it up with a new album called "What We're Missing" some time this summer, yet here in the mean time we have from them a four track EP titled "Change". On their facebook the group speaks of drawing inspiration from the likes of The Starting Line and Jimmy Eat World, yet on the EP's first track "Change", they sound more like Misser or Sleep In, which doesn't seem as surprising when you take into consideration that they've been working with Gary Cioffi, who has produced for Misser and the similar sounding dudes in Transit. You have your vocals which sound like young dudes singing in drawn-out, melodious half-shouted style, with sensibly timed changes in roles, backing choir and "whoa-oh" contributions, and you have a warm, noodling Transit-like guitar signature and a medium paced beat framing the song.

The following "Say Something" sounds a bit more like Jimmy Eat World, with a similarly ringing guitar sound setting a nostalgic atmosphere right away, bringing to mind especially how the Arizona veterans have sounded in recent years. The vocals still sound more like east coast pop-punk though, and they're honestly the part of the band's sound which is the hardest to tell apart from their contemporaries. On the bright side though, the break into a weeping tremolo in the song's bridge works fairly well. "Bloom" follows sounding like a more thoughtful Man Overboard tune, while "The Old Apartment" hinges on a contrast between a chunky, poppy, Weezer-like chord pattern, and a mellow pre-chorus that moves into a faster chorus with more of the weepy Jimmy Eat World-ish guitar.

Overall the four tracks on "Change" do well to introduce a band that seem to have their style together, and who like to focus things in some tidy songwriting. While the tone of their sound has some personality though, you'd be hard pressed to consider any of the songs as potential breakthrough hits. For that they lack either or both a bit more inventiveness and/or some more texture and charisma from the vocals, especially if they want to draw the listener's attention closer to their lyrics. For the moment the guys sing capably, but not even close to well enough for you to recognise them for their vocal melodies, which sound way too much like what they rest of said east coast pop-punk scene is also doing. With that being said, here's to hoping that the band has some aces in their sleeves for the full length. Regardless, they have some work cut out for them yet, but fans of the genre could still consider making note of them already, if for no other reason than to figure as first movers if the band makes bigger splashes with further releases of theirs.

Download: Change, Say Something
For The Fans Of: Misser, Sleep In, Elder Brother
Listen: facebook.com/GrayscalePA

Release date 14.04.2015
Anchor Eighty Four Records