Philadelphia’s pop-punk/alt-rock band Grayscale will release their second album Nella Vita on September 6 through Fearless Records. The fast-rising act has also premiered a brand new video alongside it for the song “In Violet”.
The track underscores what could be a morbid theme with lush keys, a sweeping riff, a horn section, and an ultimately life-affirming hook: “Bury me in violet / Leave this wonderful place.”
Vocalist Collin Walsh had this to say about the new song: “When I die, I want people to celebrate my life and enjoy each other’s togetherness, rather than mourn my death in a miserable way. I’ve dealt with a lot of loss and long episodes of grief the past couple of years, and it made me realize how much it can wear on you. When I go, I want everyone you to celebrate, sing, laugh, and dress in violet.”
The singer furthered, “We’ve been keeping quiet for a while. Now it’s time for you to hear our second release. You’re going to dance, laugh, and cry all at the same time.”
Under a heavy influence of everything from ’90s rock to funk, as well as a rotation of modern hip-hop and R&B, Grayscale dove headfirst into writing Nella Vita. At the top of 2019, the band traded its hometown of Philadelphia for Austin, Texas, holing up in the Machine Shop alongside producer MACHINE [Lamb of God, As It Is, Armor For Sleep, Four Year Strong]. The resulting collection of tracks is one that sees the band chronicling life, its many facets, and its many complications, as they themselves have experienced.
“In Violet” follows the bittersweet first single “Painkiller Weather,” which is a story about being in love with someone who is unable to free themselves from their vice. Watch the video here.
Throughout Nella Vita, the quintet explores themes of sex, drugs, death, despair, and everything that embodies life, through a lens that, though far from rose-tinted, finds a lot of positivity in surviving the darkest of experiences. The title of the record and its 12 tracks are a veritable journey that’s both pensive and cathartic. Grayscale manage to bring out the light in the dark and much of the album taps a pop sensibility that will have you singing along and empathizing with the lyrics in no time.
“It’s really personal,” explains Walsh about Nella Vita. “The music provokes a lot of visuals, because it’s very conversational, real, and romantic. I suppose that’s just how I write. The songs capture the spectrum of emotions that you experience in life, and real experiences like love, sex, being a teenager, addiction, pain, joy, grief, death, and everything. Life isn’t just one thing; neither is music. We’re a rock band, but we want people to dance, laugh, cry, and have fun.”
NELLA VITA TRACK LISTING:
1. “Just Right”
2. “Baby Blue”
3. “In Violet”
4. “YOUNG”
5. “Twilight (My Heaven)”
6. “Old Friends”
7. “Painkiller Weather”
8. “What’s on Your Mind”
9. “Asbury”
10. “Desert Queen”
11. “In My Arms”
12. “Tommy’s Song”
