“It’s like I’m hanging from a tree and you won’t cut me down.“
When Greywind made their return towards the latter stages of 2023 and announced Antidote, it was a pleasant reminder of a band who have spent most of the turn of the decade bar single “Am I Asleep?” being rather quiet in terms of studio projects. Those with a good enough memory will remember their debut full-length, Afterthoughts, which dropped seven years ago. The record including the likes of “Afterthoughts” and personal favourite, “Safe Haven“.
Touching on emo and alternative influences of the later 00s, that made for a pleasant listen while existing in certain confines, it would require any follow-up to evolve and begin to entrench it’s own sound. Their returning EP, Antidote does seek to do this on a solid foundation, yet it does perhaps bring in to question how much legs this nostalgia-infused has this many years on.
Opening on “Swing and Sway” it does display that Greywind still have the art of a vocal hook in them with lines “It’s like I’m hanging from a tree” and “I swing and sway” capturing the track along some jangley riffs. It does pack an explosiveness that may have been wanted from an opener, yet does maintain a certain charm that comes with the 00s alternative influence.
“Antidote” which the duo returned on while at times offering up a bit more noise that would have been desired on the opener does sit too much on its hooks, which especially here aren’t particularly impressive. An emotiveness is injected on “Glimmer“, with some nice chord work on guitar work on the verses that is layered in on the chorus early on, and delivers a track that begins to rumble awake Antidote.
Continuing this run comes “Deathwish“, which neatly moves between expansive riffs and anthemic vocals, singing “It’s like I’m underwater and the water froze“. While there is a certain on the nose element here, it’s done well enough to embrace, evening throwing in a guitar solo for good measure. “You’re My Medicine” continues in a similar vein, with chorus line “All those silhouettes and eyes, the fluorescent lights” having a lovely harmony to it with some subtle yet pleasant synths chiming in the background. There is a slight sense that the EP does end in rather quick fashion in its closing moments, leaving the sense there was perhaps another track or two in Antidote.
On the whole Antidote is a solid record, it’s scattered with catchy moements and contains a sense of emotiveness that draws from their own personal experience that give a narrative to the record, even through the swagger of the hooks that are aplenty here. Yet there is a sense that despite all the charm of Antidote, a sense that Greywind have perhaps stayed too much in their comfort zone sonically, and a hope that what comes next will push the envelope for them.
6/10
Antidote is out March 15th via Version III.