Waterfall Greywind is the brother and sister duo of Steph and Paul O’Sullivan, and they prove that emo was never just a phase on Severed Heart City. Their latest full-length record was produced by Sam Guaiana (Neck Deep, Silverstein), and features a very professional sound, rich with big hooks and solid musicianship all around. When I last chatted with Greywind, the band shared, “We’ve always wanted to create our own world that people can escape into. Severed Heart City is basically what we went through in the last few years after being dropped <by a record label> to losing family members to health issues It’s a lot of all of that pain. But then it has the positive of, there is a light at the end of the tunnel.” While their last EP of Antidote was the band figuring out what worked well in their sound, Severed Heart City finds Greywind at their most confident, and they are successful at fulfilling their most complete vision for their music.
”Acid Rain” brings the listener deep into the world of Severed Heart City as Steph O’Sullivan begins to describe her past year and outlook, while the shimmering chorus features some great riffing from Paul O’Sullivan that provides the perfect landscape for Steph’s emotive vocals. Lyrics like “Everything around you, mirrors what we’ve been through” paint a vivid picture of what Greywind’s past few years were like for the duo. “I.K.A.M.F.” is short for “I killed all my friends”, and Steph laments over a great, speedy drumbeat while Paul’s guitars evoke just the right emotions in the song. “Happy :)” follows in the sequencing, and Steph dives into the struggles with keeping our mental health in check and also provides some guidance throughout the track to let others know that they’re never alone in this battle.
”Waterfall” features a great opening bass line from Paul, while Steph’s pre-chorus line of “I scream behind the waterfall / ‘Cuz you don’t care” is a relatable feeling to when it feels like all of our friends are tuning us out. The transcendent chorus is pure emo bliss, as Steph channels powerful female vocalists like Paramore’s Hayley Williams and Pinkshift’s Ashrita Kumar, all with a unique style of her own. “Swerve” was also released as a single prior to today’s album release date, and it features a great, emotional chorus about wanting to have a better outlook for life, but it seems like things keep getting in the way. Greywind take it all in stride, and show their fans that they’re willing to fight for a better life.
”Make Believe (L.O.V.E. Me)” kicks off the back half of the record with a steady poise and bounce to it, while the bass guitar takes center stage in the verses, while the chorus explodes with power chords and a great vocal approach from Steph. The feeling of “wanting to be wanted” is what drives the song’s lyrical material, while the band conveys this emotion in a way that is relatable without seeming too preachy. The ballad of “Moon” does a nice job of breaking up some of the similar song structures of the front-half of the LP, and the reflective material allows for Steph to connect with her growing audience while still highlighting her improved vocal prowess. “Let’s See If You Can Float” rocks with urgency from the get-go, and it plays out like a brooding punk rock song that evokes the right emotions in the verses to the choruses to leave plenty of mystery behind each of the lyrics. It showcases what Greywind were going for on Severed Heart City, and they leave little doubt that they’re more than capable of crafting solid emo tunes.
”The Scarecrow” is a great, vulnerable single that slowly builds to a great crescendo and takes the listener on a picturesque journey through Steph’s haunting vocal performance and vivid lyrics. The piano-laced song continues to unfold to some thunderous drums at the closing moment of the song that do a nice job of setting up the final song. “Cope in the Coma” was described by Steph as, “We’ve felt like we were trapped in a coma for so long, so ‘Cope in the Coma’ is our way of saying never give up and just fight through it.” It’s solid advice to follow given the state of the world today, the constant cycle of negative news, and wanting to find your purpose in a confusing life. Greywind are at their most relatable on Severed Heart City, and it seems like the momentum is going well in their favor on this excellent album.