ALBUM REVIEW: NIGHTM@RES – Light Grey

Hailing from Galway, Ireland, emo band LIGHT GREY have been building for a while towards their debut album NIGHTM@RES. Since forming in 2017, they have been making a name for themselves in the music industry, collaborating with the likes of WSTR and HOUSE PARTIES. This record is a semi-autobiographical concept album about the tribulations the protagonist goes through during a series of interconnected dreams. It sounds like a trippy concept, but it is one that only LIGHT GREY could do.

NIGHTM@RES isn’t only notable for the concept; it also sees LIGHT GREY pushing their sound to include electronic elements, which is a daring thing to do for a debut. But as soon as opening track Famous starts, it works extremely well, blending seamlessly with the guitars and drums. The entire album has a distinct early 00s vibe that is helped by the electronic elements. Yet it also manages to not come across as gimmicky or insincere. It is clear when listening to songs such as Director’s Cut, Crazy and Loser that the band are incredibly passionate about making music.

While the first few songs are all fast-paced electronic-rock songs, and therefore do eventually start to bleed into one another a little bit, things pick up when Something New starts as – although it is still an upbeat song – it is more of a straightforward pop-punk track. The Experiment which follows is more of a synth-rock song, and the latter half of the album in general gives each of the songs more of a distinct identity, which not only helps its pacing, but also brings it some cohesion. Insomnia is an upbeat emo song whereas Square One is an acoustic song that slows things down before Overly Tired picks up the pacing. The closing title track starts off with slow, heavy synths that turn into a mellow and sombre synth-rock song. The band subvert expectations by not closing the album with an upbeat song and instead they leave the door open for more in the future.

Overall, NIGHTM@RES is a fantastic album that shows what LIGHT GREY are capable of. They expertly mix electronica and pop-punk, whilst also leaving the door open for more experimentation in the future, and in turn prove that they are an exciting new band with much to look forward to ahead of them.

Rating: 8/10

NIGHTM@RES is out now via Never Meant Records.

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