Grayscale

Nella Vita

BY Eva ZhuPublished Sep 3, 2019

7
Grayscale's long-awaited sophomore album Nella Vita contains 12 poppy tracks that discuss topics that range from sex to death.
 
The album kicks off with vocalist Collin Walsh reminiscing about the good times in a past relationship in "Just Right," which leads into the rather unexpected second track, "Baby Blue." The lyrics convey regret for falling out of touch with a past lover, while the bouncy guitar riffs sound like they were pulled from the 1975's back catalogue.
 
"In Violet," a song about celebrating a person's life, rather than mourning their death, is an album highlight — the grin-inducing trumpets and gang vocals in the bridge are refreshing — as is the tear-inducing acoustic track "Asbury," whose chorus is beautifully written and worth coming back to. That said, there are cringe-worthy moments, too, such as the hip-hop influenced bridge on "Young" and the line "I loved a girl named Madison / She liked to do heroin" on "Painkiller Weather."
 
After 11 relatively light-hearted songs, Nella Vita closes with the utterly depressing "Tommy's Song" — keep a box of tissues on hand for the inevitable weeping.
(Fearless)

Latest Coverage