5 Years Later: An Honest Review of Grayscale's "What We're Missing"

On February 12, 2016, Grayscale released their debut full-length What We're Missing on Anchor Eighty Four Records. Since, they've put out two other full lengths, 2017's Adornment and 2019's Nella Vita.

While I'd consider myself a casual listener of their music and I've even seen them live once when they toured with State Champs in 2019, I've actually never listened to the album that help kickstart their career. So in honor of the five year anniversary of their debut LP being last week, here's an honest track-by-track review of the nine tracks that make up What We're Missing.

Track 1: "Tense"

This is a short track, totaling one minute and 47 seconds in length. It starts pretty mellow, with a simple acoustic guitar and drum beat. Its harmonies and vocal echoes are almost haunting. Around 50 seconds, the song picks up speed, until around one minute and 16 seconds, when it explodes into something bigger. The lyrics are honest, a snapshot of lead singer and lyricist Collin Walsh's childhood and his relationship (or lack thereof) with his mother, who was an addict. The song works almost like a deep breath before the following 26 or so minutes. It's the perfect introduction song into what will be an honest album.

Track 2: "Palette"

"Palette" is probably the most well-known from this album (albeit, not necessarily that well-known in comparison with their following two records), having amassed over three million listens on Spotify. And that makes total sense -- it's got a catchy melody for a pop punk song. The chorus is fairly likely to get stuck in your head. And the guitar riff works well in accompaniment to the vocals and drums. It's a strong song to introduce someone to the sound that Grayscale has created and built upon.

Track 3: "Midwest"

Okay, look, I'm from to Midwest -- born and raised in the suburbs of Chicago and currently at a university in Indiana -- so I was hoping when I saw this title, that this could be my favorite on the record. And it comes close -- I was definitely not disappointed. Its harmonies really stuck out to me with the stark contrast between deep and high vocals. It's more upbeat than the first two tracks -- definitely less haunting, but still catchy. It's hopeful and bright and less focused on more negative emotions like the first two. When it picks up speed in the bridge and final chorus, the drums, the guitars and the backing vocals really truly come together perfectly to enhance the vocal and its lyrics.

Track 4: "Say Something"

"Say Something" sees the addition of a second lead vocalist for the first time in the record. The two mesh together incredibly well. They work well following each other and better than I had anticipated meshed together and harmonized in the bridge. "Say Something" sees the first guitar solo of the album as well, coming in full swing right before the bridge. And it honestly slaps hard. It builds so nicely to the solo and it continues beneath the vocals of the bridge. It's without a doubt my favorite track from the album. My head was bopping along with the drums the entire time I was writing this. It's upbeat, but I can't necessarily say it's a happy song. Without truly listening to the lyrics, the song gives an upbeat, hopeful vibe. But when you really listen to the lyrics that accompany, it tells a different story. The lyrics are emotional, probably more along the lines of somber. If you took the lyrics and put them to slower instrumentals, maybe even just an acoustic guitar, it would fit perfectly with the vibe, sure, but there's something about that stark contrast between upbeat instrumentals and super emotional lyrics. It demonstrates really good songwriting. And that contrast is what makes this song as great as it is.

Track 5: "Change"

This track definitely places an emphasis on the guitar and rightfully so. The guitars are beautiful and it's what really draws you in. "Change" doesn't have the same sweeping vocals as the previous four tracks, utilizing mainly deeper vocals, instead of the usual contrast between deep and high. Instead, it uses the guitar in place of the high pitched vocals. It's very bittersweet sounding, more on the lowkey side of this album. But something about it almost feels lacking, as if it's supposed to build to this big bridge or final chorus, but it doesn't. The bridge and last chorus sound pretty much like the rest of the song. If it wasn't for that guitar, I'd be tempted to say this song feels pretty monotone. It's truly not a bad song, the guitar and the focus placed on it really saves it for me, but it's definitely not my favorite from this record.

Track 6: "Catholic"

This track starts with a drum intro that's very unique amongst the other songs on this album. Instrumentally, I can't say that "Catholic" is really anything special. The driving force of this song definitely comes from the lyrical content. The song deals with hypocrisy and seeing people in a different light as you grow up. It's about how often it's the people pushing certain beliefs -- whether religious or not -- the hardest that are the ones trying to convince themselves to follow them but don't. It's about finally seeing that mask for what it is and how damaging that can be. It's also structured very atypically, which really helps drive home its message. Written as verse-chorus-chorus-outro (which is basically still the chorus), they really utilize the chorus and load it with emotional and personal content.

Track 7: "Bloom"

Opening the last third of the album is a song that sounds much different than the rest of the album. It has a strong bass line throughout and especially so in the verses. But at the bridge, the guitar starts to take back the focus and it's used perfectly to accompany the emotionally-charged lyrics. "Bloom" feels darker than the rest of the album, with lyrics like "But now the lights in my eyes are broken, just like before" in the chorus and "I found peace in dying on my own / Because nothing is forever / And I don't mind waking up alone" in the bridge. This song definitely feels more emotionally-charged than most other songs on the album, and that definitely boosts this song a lot.

Track 8: "Irish Curtains"

The second to last track on the album is also the longest, clocking in at just over four minutes long. The lyrics plead for someone stuck in a cycle of depression and addiction to stay alive. It's easily the most emotion track. It opens with 40 seconds of the sound of rain hitting a window paired with a simple acoustic guitar riff that really pulls at your heart strings. It opens with a line packed with emotion: "If I should die before I wake / I pray that you keep our memories safe." It's written in chorus-verse-chorus-chorus, which works to really get the hard-hitting lines that are filled with the darkest content of the album stuck in your head. The haunting vocals are paired in the last chorus with harsh vocals that are filled with emotion. The harmonies throughout are beautifully done. It fades out with the same sound of rain pattering on a window, bringing the song full circle. For an album supercharged with emotional lyrics, this one really pairs haunting instrumentals with haunting vocals so well, creating an emotional song beyond all the others on this record.

Track 9: "August Love"

The last track on the album was written about a dream Walsh had, it depicts a relationship in his head with a strong start that ends bitterly. That description fits the structure of the song pretty well as well. It starts with a strong, upbeat guitar loop. It's almost anthemic in sound, up until the last two lines of the song and of the album: "I'm nothing to no one / I'll never be what you want." The first of the two lines sees the guitar fading out and the last line stands completely on its own with just the vocals. It's such a powerful and emotional way to end the album.

As a whole, What We're Missing can sometimes fall in line with classic pop punk songs with some of its guitar riffs, drum loops and overall sound. That's not necessarily automatically a bad thing. It can be, sure, but the album hits a lot of high notes that truly makes it stand out. It's an emotionally-driven album and honestly highly personal and it's those lyrical themes that really power this record. Its harmonies throughout are really powerful and beautifully done -- it's definitely something that really sticks with me, even much later after the first listen. It's a short listen, totaling 27 minutes in length, and I recommend giving the time to it. It's a powerfully written album, and it has rightfully set Grayscale up for great things.

Listen to it either here or below