For all of the emotion packed into the seven songs on his The Grey Rainbow EP, don't call Boy Omega emo. The emotion comes via the dense layering of orchestral arrangements, piano, guitars, and a farmboy-quality innocence in his voice. It's all legit as a semi-pop score, solidly built from top to bottom, and indicates that despite what he already knows, he's got room to grow.
From the acoustic arpeggiations and fencing drumbeat of the opening track, "Burn This Flag", Martin Gustafsson shows off an ability to arrange modern technical prowess with highly emotive sounds. His throaty lyrics graze over the lush rhythm in a cool, nearly-frigid scope. "From Us To Eternity" has a soft plucking guitar and scratched-out vocals, eventually joined by strings and horns in a hair-raising gallop. From there, The Grey Rainbow continues to evolve into higher creativity and production. "Control" has an impressively dense violin arrangement flanked by more acoustica, xylophone, and electronic fuzz. And that's just the first three songs.
"For I Cannot Breathe" jams out a dense, urban beat and a crushed vocal that's as believable and desparate as an empty city street. "Divebomb" is a silvery piano tune joined by banjo and reversing techniques underneath a low, velvet lyric track before smashing into a digital wall. Each track has something different to offer, all the while keeping the emotional strength of the one before it. "The Isle" is a sparse march with a rolling bass that neatly grooves into a violin-driven anthem. The mini-album finishes on a strained acoustic ballad with scattered vocals.
Throughout the seven-song mini-album, Boy Omega puts a strong chin into the microphone while a vast array of instruments bolster the weight of his voice. It's an impressive set of songs, and there's always room on the indie scene for a collection like this.
