Mix together a refreshing taste of pop-punk and some pop danceability and you have Grayscale's forthcoming album, "Nella Vita"
Grayscale burst onto the scene in 2017 with Adornment and now the band has followed up with an incredible pop-punk album titled Nella Vita. Meaning “to life†in Italian, Nella Vita is a celebration of life – the good and the bad.
Starting with an electrically-charged opening track, “Just Right†makes you dance to death. The track discusses how you can feel broken and incomplete after ending a relationship, and reminiscing on the good parts of the love you miss so much. With a catchy chorus of how everything can be “Just Right†again, Grayscale gives you an idea of how much raw emotion went into this album, with fast guitars and nostalgia. Hearing this song open the album, I knew it’d be one of my favorite tracks and how good the rest was going to be.
“In My Arms†is a funky track that gets you moving along to a fake happy song about losing yourself and finding comfort in another person. The funk in the guitar gives an indie-pop feel, but not the pop-punk feel, it’s refreshing. This track is something I have not heard in a few years around pop-punk spaces, throwing a vibe similar to The Summer Set, it’s a feel-good track that is more pop than punk. The breakdown of this song gives off a vibe similar to The 1975, featuring a small monologue before breaking back into the groovy vibe.
“In Violet†is the album’s second single that Grayscale co-wrote with The Maine frontman John O’Callaghan. The track features synths and the anthem style pop-punk is known for, but the song is not The Maine. The influences are there, however: the feeling of happiness and celebration displayed through the guitars and drums, while being so sad lyrically is exactly O’Callaghan’s specialty. The song discusses dying – but being tired of funeral black and wanting to just celebrate life, Nella Vita, if you will. Originally, hearing this song die-hard fans were confused with the sound being so different to older Grayscale songs, but John O’Callaghan and The Maine are known for the pop tracks that get you in the mood to dance. Listening to “In Violet†you will be in a place of pure happiness while singing about your own funeral.
The last notable track, “Asburyâ€, frontman Collin Walsh told me to listen to by the beach, so I drove with my friends to Asbury Park, NJ at 11 o’clock at night to hear this track the first time, how the band wanted it to be heard. This track is definitely a sad sing-along that’ll leave you in tears. The song features an acoustic guitar and soft vocals to share a story of a tragic death and letting go after suffering a loss. Listen to this song by the ocean or looking up at the stars, staring out into the abyss, you will feel the lyrics and full vocals at a level of intensity that cannot be matched.
This album will make you dance, cry, and feel alive. Grayscale has set the bar high for their fans and their music and did not disappoint. The album art of a woman dancing in her bedroom with her makeup running down her face is exactly how Nella Vita will leave you. So, here’s to life.
Nella Vita will be available everywhere on 6 September via Fearless Records.
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