Daytona Beach Rockers Greye are Back With New Single

Greye has worked hard and with passion to get where they are today. This indie rock 5 piece has stretched their sound far past the boundaries of their home state of Florida and found receptive listeners around the globe. Much of the reason for this can be ascribed to their lead singer Hannah Summer. Even divorced from visual reinforcement, Summer has a compelling vocal presence that oozes personality with every line. Their new single “Bang Bang” illustrates her commanding personality quite well. The production is top notch, as well, and conveys the band’s power and intelligence with impressive fidelity. All of the ingredients are present for a genuine rock and roll barnburner that distinguishes Greye from many of their peers and contemporaries.

It doesn’t overstay its welcome. Greye understands how to make the maximum impact in a limited frame. There are no extended instrumental breaks, no shallow virtuoso trips, but instead a laser focus on conveying the song’s message and connecting with audiences. It’s reflective of a standard they have maintained since their debut, but they do more in that limited frame than many other bands do with much lengthier songs.

The musicianship is superb. The lack of extended lead guitar work isn’t any black mark against the song because it is thoroughly in keeping with the modern rock aesthetic that the band embraces. They incorporate classic fundamentals, as well, particularly the drumming and guitar riffs. Skinbeater par excellence Ray Grimard lays down the thunder from the start and Jett Wolfe’s guitar playing has such assertive strength that you cannot deny it. It isn’t all muscle, however, and attentive listeners will hear the subtlety present in their musical attack.

Hannah Summer’s vocals have a lot of subtlety as well. Make no mistake though, she’s capable of bringing the thunder as well. I suspect that her voice has even more dexterity and elasticity than we hear during this song, but her affinity for convincing hard rock vocals cannot be denied. She feels every syllable of the words, as well, and never glosses over a single moment. Summer is intent on realizing the song’s potential, not just the lyrics, and her performance will be a major factor in the song’s success.

Those lyrics mentioned earlier never waste a word. It’s a scathing piece of writing, in many ways, and the percussive value of the words is high. The best rock lyrics are always written with the instruments and arrangement in mind rather than being incubated alone and “Bang Bang” is no exception. It’s a torrid addition to the band’s discography and highlights their talents in ways that few of their previous releases have managed to do. Six albums deep into their career and Greye shows no signs of slowing down. I wouldn’t expect to see those signs any time soon. This is a band that’s making music impervious to posterity, and we have every right to expect they will still be around and bigger than ever in twenty years. It isn’t an exaggeration. Greye’s “Bang Bang” is a song of rare power. 

Nicole Killian