You know that feeling when you’re in your car listening to the radio and a random song comes on and you realize its lyrics are hitting just a little too close to home? In a nutshell that’s what Greye’s “I Don’t Mind” did for me, and I assume it’ll do for plenty of others. This brisk 3 and a half minute track comes courtesy of singer Hannah Summer and her cohorts, Ray Grimard (drums), Jett Wolfe (guitar), Josh Reid (bass), and Kenn-e Williams (keys) and was written last April, really at the beginning of the still ongoing pandemic. The sound is a beautiful eclectic blend of a kind of old soul meets 80s trash rock.
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The way Grimard and Wolfe,s combined talents elevate each other right out of the gate is inspiring. They hit the ground running just moments before Summer’s subtly smooth and powerhouse voice kicks in with fond memories of life before the seeming end of the world and takes notice of how things around her have begun to change. An aspect that makes this song so great and keeps it from being all about the real-world problems we’re facing globally is that Summer’s gives us just enough context and thoughtful imagery that one could read it as a response to the pandemic, but really it transcends that to become a rocking but inciteful commentary on how we communicate with each other and how we’ve gotten worse at it.
Summer’s skills as a lyricist are given plenty of room to shine with imagery that lingers, a particular use of dead flies is especially haunting. The lyrics are rich with double meaning meant for the audience to go back and listen to over and over for a new context. Even the kind of joking use of Spanish in the chorus “communicado desperado” becomes more like a cry for help since Summer can’t even begin to make sense of the world around her. It’s as thoughtful as it is engaging and obviously it doesn’t hurt that it’s just a piece of kick-ass rock. My only real gripe is that somethings the backtracks can be too loud and that can obscure the delivery of some of Summer’s lines (There is no calling it through(?), throw(?)), but this issue only exists in patches.
Beyond that, it’s a tight, solid 3 and a half minute blast that’s only other shortcoming is that there isn’t an album to listen to more of this band and what they have to offer. It’ll be exciting to see where the band goes from here and if this is any indication we’ll have some more thoughtful bangers that’ll make you miss for a time when we could see live shows, and even Summers echoes that with the line “it’s the little things you miss.” If you know anyone looking for some new music to experience this year, especially those looking for something that’ll take you back to a more classic rock sound, Greye and “I Don’t Mind” is a perfect start.
Troy Johnston
The music of GREYE has been heard all over the world in partnership with the radio plugging services offered by Musik and Film Radio Promotions Division. Learn more https://musikandfilm.com