Grayscale

Emerging from Philadelphia with an intense pop-punk identity, Grayscale fused raw energy and memorable hooks in a manner that echoed State Champs alongside All Time Low. A string of early-2010s EPs paved the way for the band’s first proper studio album, the 2017 release Adornment. By the arrival of Nella Vita in 2019, the material had absorbed melodic pop elements and a more radio-oriented polish. That evolution deepened further by 2021, evident in glossy tracks such as “Diamond” and “Babylon (Say It to My Face),” both featured on the album Umbra. The group launched 2023 with the independent single “Not Afraid to Die.”

The five members first assembled in 2011 while still high-school students: vocalist Collin Walsh, lead guitarist Andrew Kyne, rhythm guitarist and backing vocalist Dallas Molster, bassist Nick Ventimiglia, and drummer Nick Veno. They issued their initial recording, Leaving, on their own in 2013. Two years afterward the band joined Anchor Eighty Four, which put out the EPs Change and What We’re Missing. In 2017 Grayscale moved to Fearless Records and delivered the Kyle Black-produced Adornment, an album they regarded as their official full-length debut.

Nella Vita, their second album, followed in 2019, fronted by the emotionally intense single “In Violet.” Moving deeper into pop territory, the group adopted an approach comparable to later work by All Time Low and Paramore, layering in bright synths, polished production, and rhythmic dance grooves. Ahead of their third album they released the 2021 single “Babylon (Say It to My Face),” with Umbra appearing later the same year. Grayscale maintained the same direction in 2023 by presenting the colorful track “Not Afraid to Die,” a song shaped by the toughness and endurance displayed by residents of their native Philadelphia.