Listening to Severed Heart City, you almost feel kinda…sad. And not in an expectantly performative ‘this-is-an-emo-album-and-ergo-I-should-feel-sad’ way. No, it’s because Greywind are really good on this, and it sinks in how ruthlessly we’ve been starved of that thanks to label drama that, had it gone worse, could’ve put the kibosh on all of this entirely.
Instead, a chunk of TikTok virality paid off, 2024’s Antidote EP was also super solid, and we’re back at a point where Greywind can feel like legitimate contenders again. And with how rock circles have shifted and warped since Afterthoughts in 2017, it’s not unwelcome to have them properly back in the slightest. Back then, they were a bit too soaring and cinematic to fit in with the Britrock of the age; now, they’re way more refined than whatever gimmicky pile-up the algorithm decides to spew out next. Take it to heart that that’s absolutely, positively, no questions asked, a good thing.
Nevertheless, there’s a couple of niggles to get out of the way first, as is customary. After Car Spin and Swing And Sway, bringing back the car crash imagery for Acid Rain is starting to get a bit played out, as what’s become Greywind’s quickest default representation of mental peril and anguish. As for a more holistic example of something that doesn’t work, the alt-pop of The Scarecrow recreates a heavy, hollow bombast that its genre sloughed off years ago, and seemingly, for good reason. It’s the one place on Severed Heart City where Greywind’s anachronistic existence arrives to haunt them completely, and when a song like Moon does swelling, open earnestness in a more timeless fashion, The Scarecrow seems a bit tattered by comparison.
Other than those pretty minor blips, Severed Heart City is everything you could want from Greywind’s full-length return. It’s actually a bit wild how little shakiness there is with any of this, though given how accomplished Afterthoughts was as their full-blown, first-ever release, it’s not too shocking, either. Still, after over half a decade of basic inactivity, you might expect a few shabbier edges to show than there are. Steph O’Sullivan’s voice is an especially noteworthy case, where she remains strident and striking with any sort of able atrophy barely worth pondering. The most from that comes in big, driving rock numbers like I.K.A.M.F. and Make Believe (L.O.V.E. ME), the kind of cuts where the sidewards glances at and around My Chemical Romance’s workbook stick out the most.
It’s worth noting how unfair that comparison is by nature, and to say that Greywind—for all of their efforts—aren’t to the level of My Chemical Romance is not to be taken too damningly. They’re not, for the record, but your average band isn’t quite rising to the level of a generation-defining institution on their comeback album, are they? What’s better to discuss, however, is how, unlike so many who’ll use that reference point as their entire shtick, Greywind are notably more diplomatic with it. You can hear where they’re drawing from but it’s never overwhelming; same with Paramore, or Jimmy Eat World, or any number of their erstwhile contemporaries in Britrock.
There’s an all-encompassing size and style to Severed Heart City as a result, as it suffices as this all-purpose alt-rock album that, thanks to its many intermingled threads, does indeed feel like its own thing. Production is sharp and sleek but never overly clandestine, so not to blunt the wallops of emotion on Happy :):, or the lonelier resignation of Waterfall. On the reverse of that same coin, I.K.A.M.F. is gunning for the loose-screwed pop-rock anthemia that Greywind entirely perfected on Antidote, and though not quite as brilliant as that song, it’s a great example of ragged, combustible heat-energy that ‘cinematic’ bands tend not to touch. And finally, with Cope In The Coma ending the album on an emotive, persistent alt-rock bouncer, Greywind’s knack for the stickiest, most heartfelt of melodies goes unchallenged once again.
So, yeah, it’s just really good stuff. More than that, it’s good that Greywind haven’t been left to feel the brunt of the hassle they’ve been dealt, at least not since they’ve gotten their feet back on the ground. This might be one of the most nimble reintroductions to be served in modern memory; no adjustment period or slow wind-up back to full power has been necessary. Antidote made a strong case for that, but Severed Heart City etches it in the bedrock of Greywind as a unit—they’re brilliant all the way down, oftentimes as a baseline. Had an album like this been allowed to release much sooner, we’d be singing the praises of one of strongest all-around rock acts of the modern age. As it stands right now, it’s just wonderful that we’re here at all.
For fans of: My Chemical Romance, early Paramore, Hot Milk
‘Severed Heart City’ by Greywind is released on 16th January on FLG Records.
Words by Luke Nuttall
