Drenched – Grey
Drenched – Grey
Self-released
Release Date: 23/08/24
Review by Laura Barnes
7.5/10
Living in a small town, I spend a lot of time in cars. If you’re a broke townie in your twenties, driving around is an activity in itself. A couple of weeks ago, my friend and I drove about 45 minutes to check out a 24 hour milkshake vending machine – a mundane adventure, but an adventure nonetheless. When you spend this amount of time in a car, you gain an appreciation for the beaten-up sound of the car radio and the way the bass pumps out of the speaker by your shoes. These long drives are often soundtracked by Nu-Metal. The nostalgia factor plays a part in this of course, but also because this Frankenstein’s Monster of a subgenre seems to be the best fit for these long, lazy evenings. The simplicity of downtuned power chords matches the grey asphalt of the roads; the brief melancholic harmonies blend well with the cold air of the night.
“Grey” is the debut EP from British newcomers Drenched, and it’s exactly the kind of album that I would pick out for one of these long drives. Drenched hail more from the Deftones school of Nu-Metal than that of Limp Bizkit – chugging riffs are paired with psychedelic melodies, and Marc Mitchell’s clean vocals are tinged with a vague existential anxiety. There is a certain maturity and quiet confidence demonstrated throughout “Grey”, evident from the EP’s consistent and cohesive sound. Opening track ‘The Change’ gives us a first look into the band that Drenched want to be – thick bass guitar and downbeat harmonies echo over the lofi, garage-style production as the band march towards a crescendo of cathartic sonic frustration. It’s grungey, it’s angry, and it has an absolutely DELICIOUS bass break towards the end. It is followed up by the much more mellow ‘Cycles’, and it pretty quickly becomes clear that this is a song about cycles of abuse, and the sadness that comes from leaving behind a person that hurt you. Guitarist Callum Ter Morsche puts in a killer performance here with a guitar solo that, weirdly enough, doesn’t feel out of place despite the trappings of the Nu-Metal genre – Nu-Metal should have more guitar solos, to be honest. Closing track ‘Tonight’ was particularly interesting. Is it a love song? Is it a break up song? It isn’t quite clear, but if you want to feel depressed while riding a skateboard, this is the perfect soundtrack for it. ‘Tonight’ also stands out from the rest of “Grey” due to its break from formula. While this a consistently good debut release, there are times when the technique of pairing slow, melodic verses with punchier choruses gets a bit monotonous. Drenched clearly have talent, so it’d be awesome to see them get a bit more bananas on future releases.
That aside, “Grey” is a thoroughly enjoyable listen, and those longing for days when Deftones and Alien Ant Farm ruled the airwaves will have tons to enjoy here. Word is that Drenched are due to announce some more UK tour dates soon, and if this EP is anything to go by, they’ll put on some bloody good shows.
TRACKLISTING:
01. The Change
02. Cycles
03. (in)sane
04. Tonight
LINE-UP
Marc Mitchell – Vocals
Callum Ter Morsche – Guitar, Backing Vocals
Mike Essery – Drums
Mak Wilson – Bass, Backing Vocals
LINKS
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