Album Review: Everything I Let Go And The Things I Refuse To by Old Gray

Old Gray -  Everything I Let Go and The Things I Refuse To

Release Date: 22 August 2013 (Europe)

Record Label: Dog Knights Productions

Rating: 7.8

For Fans Of: La Dispute, Saetia, Merchant Ships

By Mark Garza

For a lot of people, Old Gray is one of the first bands they listen to when they start getting into emo, screamo or “skramz.” Old Gray has had a history of solid releases, never failing to leave an impression and get listeners enthusiastic over this oftentimes newly found genre of honest, passionate music. Though Everything I Let Go and The Things I Refuse To was a hit or miss for many and came out a year ago this November, it remains one of my favorite EPs of 2012 that remains true to Old Gray’s sound while exploring newer, darker territory.

Everything opens with a spoken word piece courtesy of Charlie Singer that, whether because of the striking delivery or the words themselves, leaves a stout sensation of loss and regret, of defeat and concession. Old Gray solidified a love of spoken word in many, and for good reason. The lyrics are exactly what you’d expect from a Midwest emo band: candid and easy to relate to without being too cryptic or complex.

Resonance is the second track and possibly the least powerful on the record, not for any inconsistencies or faults within the track but because every other song overshadows it in terms of delivery and memorability. While giving a taste of their darker, slightly more hostile side, Resonance just doesn’t cut it as much as the other tracks do. The most powerful point of this song is the buildup towards the conclusion, where everything builds upon each other before Cameron Boucher screams repeatedly “I’m so tired of dying each night.”

Winter ’11 is the only song to feature all of Old Gray on vocals on this EP and is arguably its greatest track, highlighting both the screamed and spoken aspects of Old Gray’s repertoire. When Raphael screams “What do you want from me that you cannot say? What do you want from me that I cannot do?” in Polish, it flows tremendously smoothly from the previous line’s English standing and has a noticeable ring that is as attention-grabbing as it is urgent. Singer’s verses never disappoint and hold a special rawness in this track that leads into Boucher and Bastek’s powerful departing words: “Today I am what I never was: I am truly alone. Tomorrow I'll be what I wish I were today: I won't be afraid anymore.”

The final departure from Old Gray’s darkest and most haunting album is Six Years which starts off with a sample from Freaks and Geeks (not the Childish Gambino song) about a dead grandma. Six Years is a much easier listen than Winter ’11, being less heavy and more coherent throughout instrumentally while still hitting all the right chords emotionally. I keep touching on final words, but “This time next year, will I have the courage to say, ‘I’m sorry, are you still proud of me?’”are probably, hands down, the best parting lyrics of any of these songs.

Essentially, Everything was and is a really good EP. Old Gray showed a more sinister, darker side to themselves and followed up with the phenomenal An Autobiography which is gonna make a lot of  EOTY lists. It’s only a matter of time before Old Gray breaks up, go see them now.