‘Ode to the Greyhouse’ Introduces Edgehill
Edgehill introduce themselves with a subtle confidence and a satisfying assurance of who they are as a band and the emotions they want listeners to resonate with. The Nashville-based band’s debut album, Ode to the Greyhouse, is a beacon of honesty and the product of passionate artists who are fully dedicated to honing their craft. The album is explosive where it needs to be, but not overly so. The band relishes their time in the studio, with several tracks fading out into the warm, incoherent chatter of friends who crave good music. Ode to the Greyhouse, with gritty instrumentals and raw lyrics, doesn’t just establish Edgehill’s potential in the alternative rock scene and beyond, but brings forward a group of musicians who let authenticity lead their artistic journey.
Photo courtesy of Hannah Hall
Ode to the Greyhouse explores the turbulent twists and turns of a relationship between two people swimming at different emotional depths. Through this narrative, the album reveals more self-reflective details of the human experience, grounding the clutter of feelings coinciding with a sticky breakup.
“Doubletake” introduces a buzzing combination of edgy instrumentals and sharp vocals as the lyrics expose the anxiety following the beginning of a relationship: “Thinking, 'What if it's over in a month?’/I'm backing you off/Aperture change, and it's a daydream/Is it?/I don't know who the hell we are/I'm over it now.” As the song questions what is or isn’t a product of the self-sabotaging delusions that form as we begin to develop feelings for someone, the instrumentals grow into a spectacular crescendo of clashing guitars and drums. “17 Hours” mirrors this same level of restless apprehension and nerves with an eerie, repetitive acoustic instrumental and faint ringing of a bedside alarm.
“lol” and “Love To Go,” while sonically different, mark two subtle changes that occur during the process of letting someone go. Where “lol” finds Edgehill timidly coming to terms with someone leaving, and finding some sense of peace through more mellow instrumentals and melancholic vocals, “Love To Go” moves from disappointment and self-blame to outward anger. With sharp and fast-paced instrumentals, the track displays an emotional release as the lyrics demand honesty and show no hesitation to share personal emotional ups and downs: “But you will never know/How much you made me miserable/Should’ve thrown me away/Before I got too cold/But you left me out to mold/So now this mess is yours to hold/Don’t take my love to go.”
Video Directed by Ty Combs
“I Can Be Your Dog” and the album’s titular track act as sister songs in a sense, as they echo the sentiment of remaining devoted to someone regardless of the emotional consequences. “I Can Be Your Dog” navigates the fine line between romance and emotional attachment as lead vocalist, Chris Kelly, sings, “You say you like it, I know you don’t/Don't wanna feed it, so you throw me a bone/And I'm gonna chase it 'cause it's easy to fake it/When you're holdin' a leash with a ready replacement.” The vocals are fed-up, yet sincere as he acknowledges his own willingness to accept the bare minimum. He still carries some sense of hope that they will have another shot at true love if he just sticks around. “Ode to the Greyhouse” asks if staying around is worth it—if someone will come back when they reach their lowest point: “So tell me could it make you feel good/To pick me back up when you’re down/Quitting your stint on the ground/I’ll make a promise/All ships will rise.” More intimate vocals lend the track a brutal honesty that shatters into racing and highly-charged instrumental runs in the album’s closing track, “Innocent.”
Vulnerability and the courage to be brutally honest leaves Edgehill at a pivotal and exciting point in their music journey, and this is just the beginning. Ode to the Greyhouse, while a cohesive and self-contained project, captures the band’s humanity and heart, the very elements that pulse through the album’s invigorating sound.
