ALBUM REVIEW: Severed Heart City – Greywind
Irish emo duo GREYWIND, after eight years in the waiting, have put out their second record Severed Heart City. Originally releasing their debut record back in 2017, siblings, Steph and Paul O’Sullivan, were dropped by their record label despite their growing popularity, but instead of giving up hope they carried on. Their determination has paid off with a strong online following, their EP, Antidote, being released last year, tour spots as both headliners and support acts, and now finally a new full-length album.
The duo’s style draws heavy inspiration from emo heavyweights including MY CHEMICAL ROMANCE and FALL OUT BOY, yet they also bring in electronic pop elements that add an otherworldly style to their songs that can be described as it’s own soundscape whilst paired with brutally honest lyrics that many of us can, whether for good or bad, heavily relate to.
Opening the record, we have Acid Rain where the first things we hear is some ethereal sound effects, setting up the atmosphere of their world that exists as something both similar and dissimilar to our own. The low vocals then draw you in, eager to hear the story they’re about to tell, combined with soft drum and bass sounds that then join in the full band as things kick off into emo rock territory. The energy continues in the next two songs, I.K.A.M.F. and Happy, the first of which being of the bouncy, fast variety where we can hear that MY CHEMICAL ROMANCE influence, whilst the latter, still being of the upbeat variety that captures that 00s nostalgia, it’s brutally honest lyrics keep us grounded as we explore topics relating to feeling lost and confused at one’s place in life.
What’s fun with GREYWIND is how things rarely sound the same and how they are able to exist as something both energetic and ethereal, at times even the blending the two juxtaposing styles as heard in tracks like Waterfall, that pairs soft keyboard with alternative rock riffs that results in a chorus that is both anthemic in terms of sound but melancholic with it’s lyrics. Sometimes we can experience a type of whiplash with certain violent imagery as heard in the fast-paced Let’s See If You Float where we hear electronic rock sounds, that once again capture that 00s nostalgia, that also brings in pop melodies.
You’ll be enjoying yourself when you suddenly hear the line, “They’ll never find the body where I left it,” making you stop and go, “Wait, what?!”. Yet, with the record being a cinematic capture of grief and trauma, it’s fair to assume that this is more a metaphoric instance of someone no longer being the same after said traumatic event. Eight years in the waiting, was it worth it? Without a doubt. A stunning collection of electronic emo-rock tracks that will both transport you into new worlds as well as help you process personal struggles as you navigate life.
Rating: 8/10
Severed Heart City is set for release on January 16th via FLG.
Follow GREYWIND on Instagram.