Grayscale’s “The Umbra Tour” 2021 ft Young Culture, girlfriends and Cemetery Sun

December 22, 2021 Leave a comment

Pop punk. One of the most up-for-interpretation genres. You have a million pop punk bands, and not one of them will ever sound the same. It’s a genre that fits a wide definition, which makes so called ‘ pop punk ‘ shows a wonderful mixed basket of bands. Grayscale’s Umbra tour gave a show that had something for everyone. I made my way to Easton, PA, for one of the most amazing nights I’ve had in a long time.

I was immediately given an amazing welcome by the band Young Culture. Not only were they outstanding people, who were appreciative of every fan and photographer alike, but their music was some of the best I have heard in years. Their set was, in the best way, a throwback for me. I remember the Golden Era of pop punk bands from 2015-2017. Young Culture’s amazing sound fits right in with the likes of Neck Deep, The Story So Far, and State Champs. The entire band appeared to be having the time of their life, which helped the crowd get rowdy. The entire building danced, laughed, and sang along together. Good vibes are an understatement when it comes to Young Culture. 

Cemetery Sun was this beautiful experience that reminds me of bands like Badflower and Nothing, Nowhere. While it wasn’t exactly music to crowdsurf to, the entire crowd was mesmerized by this unique take on the genre. Along with the music getting the crowd ready for the night, every member of the band was a fantastic performer. This usually isn’t my type of band, but I was blown away by the dedication to their set, and fans. A friend I attended the show with was a first time listener, and he had nothing but good things to say. “ These are my favorite types of bands, and to be able to see one reach out to a broader audience was very exciting to me.”

My best way of describing the band Girlfriends is as if the most famous people you knew made music. Their sound is big, exciting, and sounds familiar even if you haven’t heard it. They blended a chart topping pop sound with a punk edge that makes the most mainstream and obscure listeners alike happy. Once again, a band full of unbelievably kind people. That’s the one thing I can stress about this tour. Every single artist on it is grateful, kind, and willing to connect with other people. It’s refreshing to see these connections after being away from each other for so long. 

The last time I had seen Grayscale before 2021 was way back when in 2017. Adornment was one of my favorite albums of all time, and they solidified themselves as one of my favorite bands with the release of Nella Vita. Umbra was a release I had looked forward to since they announced it, and it was everything I wanted. With emotional, beautiful composition, and vibe you can’t help but dance to, Umbra is easily my album of the year. I was excited to see how that translated to a live show, and I was not let down. For a band who’s music isn’t exactly rowdy, Grayscale can move a crowd like no one I’ve ever see. Crowdsurfers we’re flying through the air during songs I wouldn’t think would be appropriate, but it all made sense in the end. The entire band sounds almost as perfect as they do on record while playing live. I cannot stress Colin Walsh’s vocal talent enough, but it was beyond perfect during a live show. They played their entire new album in full, playing their most popular older hits as the encore. They were an absolute delight to talk to after the show, and absolutely one of my favorite bands I’ve ever taken photos of. 

Every band on this bill is incredible, and they show their passion every night when they play.

Photos + review by Emily Sulkowski

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Young Culture’s self titled album review

October 30, 2020 Leave a comment

Artwork Credit: Danny DeRusso

Young Culture is a band that’s been on my radar for quite a few years now, and the release of their third EP “(This Is) Heaven” last year only made me a bigger fan of their music, so I’ve been highly anticipating the release of their self-titled debut full-length.

The album opens with its introductory track, “Bloodthin,” beginning with softer guitars and vocals that bring catchy riffs and melodies early on before the instrumentals get louder and harder-hitting in preparation for the huge chorus that concludes the song as it transitions into the next track, “Compass.” The instrumentals are softer in the verses, letting the vocals show off at first, and the guitars, bass, and drums help build up the first couple of sections to the song’s very catchy chorus. 

That track is one of quite a few that traces back to the band’s pop-rock and alternative roots, and a perfect example of this is “American Idle,” which contains harder-hitting instrumentals that bring so much energy to the song, especially leading up to the anthemic chorus. Another great example of this is the lead single “Holiday In Vegas,” which is driven by catchy guitars and drums leading up to another unforgettable chorus that listeners will likely want to sing along to. “Better Off As Friends” is another pop-rock influenced track filled with catchy composition as well, and it perfectly showcases the transition from the sound of the band’s older material to the sound of this album.

Speaking of which, the band experimented with their sound quite a bit on this record – primarily by incorporating a lot of poppier influences – and quite a few tracks on here showcase that side of the album’s overall sound. The second single, “I’ll Be There,” is led by softer instrumentation, which accompanies the vocals as they provide catchy melodies and a positive message to remind the listeners that no matter what they are going through, things will be okay. “Anywhere I Go, I’m Taking You With Me” sounds kind of similar musically, as it’s also slower and led by softer vocals and instrumentals at first, but the hard-hitting drums help prepare the song for its bigger choruses, especially the final one, which contains a stellar vocal performance. “Fantasy” begins on a softer note as well and brings some very catchy melodies and riffs as it leads up to the chorus, where the shimmering synths aid the guitars and drums that drive the more midtempo rhythm. The fourth and final single “Hailey Beverly 2016” contains soft instrumentals and poppier influences as well, and it’s arguably the most experimental track found on the album. The album concludes with the acoustically driven “Laylo,” and while the vocals are a lot softer for most of the song, they get louder during the bridge, where they put on a strong performance with a lot of emotion.

Young Culture’s self-titled debut shows the experimentation and evolution of the band’s sound through the combination of various influences found within these ten memorable tracks.

Review courtesy of Megan Langley | Instagram

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Have Mercy Final Tour 2020 | Photos + Review

April 27, 2020 Leave a comment

Have Mercy have been a very important part of the emo, alternative and pop punk music scene, and after a decade of music and touring, they announced they have decided to break up, and that they would do one final North American tour.

Glacier Veins started the show off strong with a very captivating performance. The band has such a good stage presence and looked like they were having so much fun performing their set. The set-list primarily consisted of songs from their newly released debut LP, “The World You Want To See,” including upbeat songs such as “Talk,” “Feel Better Now,” and “Everything Glows,” as well as some slower ones like “Driveway.”

 

Young Culture was up next, bringing another really impressive set. This band brings something refreshing to the modern pop punk genre, and their live set brought a ton of passion and energy from start to finish. They performed all of the songs off of last year’s “(This Is) Heaven” EP (with the exception of “Never Changed”), as well as two older songs, “Party Girl” and “Pure Gold,” and their newly released single, “Holiday In Vegas.” 

 

Second to last was Fredo Disco. The band has so much charisma, especially lead vocalist Fredo Fosco, and they really engaged and captivated a crowd full of people who were very excited to see them perform. Their set-list included their two latest songs (“never tell u” and “harmony korine (the game)”), as well as several others from the project’s past few releases: “burnt and worn out,” “dad jeans,” and “jimbo” from 2019’s “Very Cool Music For Very Cool People,” “saturn suv” and “shower song” from 2017’s “school spirit,” and “Ghost Of Mariano’s” and “Frankenstein” from their 2018 EP “The Boredom Keeps Me Up At Night.”

 

Finally, Have Mercy took the stage to perform the last Denver, Colorado set of their career. Their set-list spanned from throughout their discography, from playing songs from their final record “The Love Life” (“Clair,” “Heartbeat,” “These Streets,” and “Dressed Down”) to classics in their catalogue (“Let’s Talk About Your Hair,” “My Oldest Friend”) and songs from the other albums and EPs that they’ve released from throughout their career: “Spacecrafts,” “Pete Rose And Babe Ruth,” “Two Years” and “Howl” from “A Place Of Our Own,” “Coexist” from “Make The Best Of It,” and “Hell,” “Levelhead,” “This Old Ark” and “When I Sleep” from “The Earth Pushed Back.” 

 

Every band on this lineup put on very impressive and captivating performances, and as a whole, this might have been one of my favorite shows I’ve attended in 2020 so far.

Photos + Review courtesy of Meg Langley | Instagram

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Seaway w/ Young Culture and In Good Nature | Fresh Produce Tour PHOTOS| 4/21/19

May 21, 2019 Leave a comment

In Good Nature

Young Culture

Seaway

Seaway | Young Culture | In Good Nature

Photos Courtesy of Linette Ray

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