Written by: Alicia Dittman
Grayscale is back with their third studio album titled, Nella Vita. Fans like myself have been patiently waiting for the follow up to Adornment, that was released in May of 2017. Grayscale is from Philadelphia, PA and is currently at the top of the merch game in the pop punk scene. The band consists of Collin Walsh (vocals), Nick Venti (guitar), Dallas Molster (vocals/guitar), Alex Kyne (guitar) and Nick Veno (drums). They are known for their cryptic tweets and messages to the Grayscale fans. Early in May of this year, they sent fans in their All Access, passwords to listen to 45 seconds of a brand-new song. That song was Painkiller Weather. They performed Painkiller Weather live on the YOU ARE OK tour with The Maine and fans went nuts over it. They released then three more singles, In Violet, Old Friends, and lastly Baby Blue.
Nella Vita in its entirely is something completely different from what we are used to hearing from the Philadelphia pop punk band. The sound is something from the 80s and early 90s mixed into what we know as the band Grayscale. This album tells us stories that we haven’t heard before and in a different way than what we are used to.
The opening song Just Right, is guaranteed to be a fan favorite, its about a love lost that Walsh is remembering and singing about how he would “Give it all to feel that alive again.” The tone of this song and like many of the songs on this album are happy to the listening ear, but with deeper lyrics that require attention to the details. Baby Blue, is a song that Walsh wrote about his grandfather being in the hospital and finally making amends after not talking to each other for quite some time. The song itself is a feel-good song and will sure to get fans to dance during a show but simultaneously cry. In Violet, is a song about death and how Walsh doesn’t want anyone to be sad when he passes on from this life, but to dance and smile and laugh. He sings “Cry for me in color, shower me in a lilac rain.”
Going down through the list of songs, there are many that are sure to hit the hearts of new and old fans alike. YOUNG and Twilight (My Heaven) are both songs that are great to scream in the car to (Trust me, I’ve done it already). And then we work our way to Old Friends which was the second to last single that the band put out before this release, this song is about Walsh’s cousin Tommy, and later on in the record, actually ending the entire thing is an ode to Tommy called Tommy’s Song.
Painkiller Weather, is a quite a song and I’m actually very surprised that the band chose it to be their first single, but I am glad that they did. This song is about someone that you love (albeit a parent, a significant other, a sibling) being addicted to drugs. This isn’t a common thing that we hear from the other side, and they paint the picture of how it is so beautifully. It’s a painful song, but it’s painted quite vividly and gorgeously.
The song list goes through the next few What’s On Your Mind, Asbury, Desert Queen, and In My Arms. Thus, brings us to Tommy’s Song as I mentioned above. Tommy’s Song is a great ending to an amazing record. I am proud of the moves that Grayscale have made and how they have managed to keep true to their selves and make a record that means a lot to them and will mean a lot to fans alike.
Grayscale have embarked on their very first headline tour alongside Belmont, Bearings, and Philadelphia's very own Rich People! The tour started on September 3rd in Asbury, NJ and goes across the United States throughout September and ends in October in their hometown of Philadelphia.
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