Mr Grey is one of the most interesting and refreshing songs I’ve heard in quite some time. It’s a pleasure to stumble upon the creative work of Pirate Signal – their songwriting and their approach to musical expression is that of a uniquely expressive, poetic, far less blatantly descriptive nature than the vast majority of pop releases tend to be. The song intrigues you from the offset, as does the video – the animation accompanying and reinforcing the song is stunning, the sort that toys with your very consciousness, particularly as the intensity of the track rises and rises before reaching the ultimate peak.
Mr Grey is a superbly effective and striking song that moves carefully from the delicate, mysterious tones of the intro, towards a full-throttle, alternative rock finish, which perfectly encapsulates the emotions and confusion and fear at the heart of the song’s story-line. The whole thing is beautifully haunting, colourful in being so, passionate and considerately crafted. It lures you into the band’s sound and their world in a manner that makes the EP that bred this single – the Abolition EP – immensely appealing.
Not since the days of Incubus and System Of a Down has a band taken to such unpredictable, deeper than deep, observational and reflective songwriting, particularly not alongside of such entrancing and skillful musicianship. The whole song, this whole painted idea of Mr Grey, breathes new life into music and the true reach that it can have when you let the heart and the mind roam free. A brilliant song, addictive and easy to have play several times over – the same goes for the video. Pirate Signal have that sound you’ve been looking for.
Video animation by Matt F Basler and Matthew Sawicki. Download the single via Bandcamp or stream it on Spotify. Find & follow Pirate Signal on Facebook, Twitter & Instagram. Visit their Website for more information.
