March 11, 2013 • Broken World Media
I've been keeping my eye on this band for some time now, especially since they've released such a strong sequence of EPs (including their demo), each of which has been better than the last. I admit, I doubted at first whether they were capable of topping Everything I Let Go & the Things I Refuse To, but I have to say that they might have done just that.
Old Gray's sound is something of a combination of old-school screamo with hints of the new Midwest emo scene and a dash of post-rock. It's a good combination, one that's been used to great effect by other bands; however, I think I preferred the style of the older EPs, which had a much larger focus on the post-rock side. An Autobiography is definitely more screamo-focused instead, and is a bit more wild in its sonic approach as the songs whip back and forth from softer sections to full-on skramz spaz-outs. This makes the album feel a bit disjointed and unfocused at times, though often the contrast does work fine.
On the other hand, it's hard not to like the songs regardless. Old Gray is emotive and passionate as ever and many songs are masterfully written, such as the touching intro to "Emily's First Communion" and the calming yet sad sound of tracks like "Show Me How You Self Destruct", with its melancholy violin part and spoken word. Contrast that with plenty of intense and pounding parts like "The Graduate" or the cathartic second half of "I Still Think About Who I Was Last Summer".
While it took a while for me to warm up to An Autobiography in light of their other stuff, I can confidently say that Old Gray is as good as ever and have settled into the album format quite well. Maybe they are even ready to settle in with the rest of the great bands of the emo revival; we'll see.
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