The debut solo EP from Ezra Grey, Afterall is an emotively affecting display of pop and rock songwriting. The Brooklyn-based multi-instrumentalist, composer, and vocalist will release the EP on April 26th, marking a culmination of many years in the music scene for Grey, who has toured internationally with a variety of bands since he was 15 years old.
Among the bands Grey has toured with is Etherius, a metal band whose drummer, Zaki Ali, produced the EP with Grey. The metal genre and its knack for more “deceptively technically difficult guitar arrangements,” per Grey, incorporates within a more approachable rock and pop blend on the EP. Years of fruitful collaborations and touring contribute to a sound that remains accessibly melodic while still sporting enjoyable stylistic variety.
“Yael” is especially exemplary of this stylistic infusion, with a warming rock sound propelled into further heights by soaring guitar-laden emotions at the two-minute turn. In similarly compelling form, the guitar work on “Horrorshow” dazzles with its radiant dexterity, meshing well within a track whose variety extends to Grey’s grippingly dynamic vocal performance.
The EP’s title track is enjoyably representative of Grey’s knack for climactic structural payoffs. “I guess I was wrong, after all,” a vocal outpouring sends chills within gentle guitar jangles during the central hook, shifting seamlessly into a swifter array of guitars and somber vocal introspection. A Latin-tinged folk balladry stirs on “Whispers in the Dark,” while “Fable” concludes the album with an exuberant brightness. Afterall is a fantastic solo debut EP from Ezra Grey.
