Grayscale: UMBRA Review
Philadelphia's alt rock band GRAYSCALE drop their third full-length Umbra. The album finds the band not reborn but refined and truly coming into their sound. Umbra arrives on August 27 on Fearless Records. The record was produced by Courtney Ballard (Five Seconds of Summer, Waterparks). The band says that “Umbra is the end of the beginning” referencing that all the prior work they’ve done have been building blocks to lead them to the sonic and lyrical platform they are now on.
The opening track Without You is a fun dance-y synth filled pop track. The song features choir-esq backing vocals and lyrics that tackle the eventual acceptance of a relationship that has broken. “Without you, I can love the crazy parts of my brain again” the lyrics say, which goes to show often times people change things about themselves for someone else and when that person isn’t around anymore you can start to heal and love yourself for who you are. The track also features an AMAZING saxophone and guitar solo, and who doesn’t want that?
Dirty Bombs was the lead single from the album and for good reason. This track is such a powerhouse not only on the album but also for the band as a whole. Sonically this track is going to get people moving. Lyrically track takes on the feeling when someone is hanging with a group of people that maybe don’t have the best intentions for them, or that have to fake who they are to be liked. Its important to have these conversations with your friends if you see these sorts of things taking place, because in the world we live in now it is easy to get lost in the fake filter admiration.
Kicking up the tempo for the next track is Bad Love. This track gives kind of an 80’s vibe, but fans are going to be here for it. This track is definitely going to be a sleeper track on the album that ends up blowing up.
Motown and Over Now keep the energy high and will have fans dancing and singing along without a doubt.
Dreamcatcher is one of my favorite tracks on the album. It is the hopeless romantic track that cries out for love, and confesses feelings. One of the slower songs on the album it is a total vibe and groove track. Playing off the prior track perfectly Live Again comes next. Still a relatively slow song, and still a track that screams for love. “Let me drown, so that you can swim again” lead singer, Collin Walsh calls out.
Carolina Skies and King of Everything are up next, and these 2 tracks are solid, but not stand out tracks on the album. They are a little slower tempo and fans will still definitely enjoy these tracks.
Next we have Babylon (Say It To My Face) which is the up-tempo energy that fans love out of the band. This track is such a vibe, calling out haters. “Come say it to my face” should be everyone’s mantra now, not to say we should all be starting fights, but if people won’t say it to your face does it even really matter that they said it at all?
Closing out the album is another song that I think is a sleeper on this album and fans are going to be yelling the lyrics back to the band as they perform it. Cigarette features a synth piano, and the drive of Collin’s vocals. The track shares the common theme across the album of expressing the emotions that come with relationships.
UMBRA Tracklisting:
Without You
Dirty Bombs
Bad Love
Motown
Over Now
Dreamcatcher
Live Again
Carolina Skies
King of Everything
Babylon (Say It To My Face)
Cigarette
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