Graver's Lane is one of the last vestiges of Delaware emo-core, with the recent departure of Moonflower and relative silence of Khaki Cuffs. Fret no more, angsty teens and apathetic twenty-somethings: Graver's Lane are here to bask in all shades of depressive haze, with a bloodsoaked EP titled Natural Crimson!
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The opener, Beautiful Laceration, is not only appropriate to the title, but also Graver's Lane's style: it's an open wound. It's a bristling song, but still contains a nice balance of echoing clean vocals and strong screams. If one thing has notably improved since the band's last release, it's certainly the vocals. The lyrical choices across the EP remains relatively unchanged since its predecessor, but the delivery of these similar lines is stronger than before.
Then again, the mixing around the drum kit is also rock-solid on Waiting, invoking some of the best hardcore releases of late. The warm crack of the snare and the brazen attitude of the song open on something more in line with bands like Spy or GEL, but still carries the echoing sulk of Graver's Lane's usual vibe back around on the chorus.
Deer In The Headlights was released as an acoustic demo a few years back, but it's much better in full force on the EP, notably not without lyrics this time around. This tune is most in line with the "old" Graver's Lane, the sound listeners got familiar with on Philophobia, but the way it opens up in its final minute is something Graver's Lane have never pulled off so gracefully back in 2021.
It's a long time coming, but this song is proof the band are balanced on the razor's edge between emo and hardcore, and not just comfortable in that tight space, but willing to lean over to either side at times. Graver's Lane has tightly balanced their crystal clear identity as a band with their audibly varied influences. Natural Crimson is the bitter cousin to Philaphobia's wistful leanings.
Delaware emo kids are eating well.
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