Greylag
The Only Way to Kill You EP
Portland, OR
(Ninth Street Opus)
“A strummy, liberating acoustic-driven Americana road trip”
Portland, OR folk duo Greylag is Andrew Stonestreet and Daniel Dixon, two friends who began playing together after discovering music linked a crucial coming-of-age role on their journey into adulthood.
Much like their contemporaries, Okkervil River and Two Gallants, Greylag conducts from the Americana folk-roots platform. Yet unlike the artists mentioned above, Greylag is minimalist, principally woven to refined acoustic guitar and voice structures. The duo flexes tempos, bartering harmonies and melodic hooks to veer from repetition or predictable lulls.
They describe their songwriting genesis as a vexing place, confirmed by the contrasting lyrical swings, “I have known freedom … I have felt so many things … I’ve felt like a stranger / looking into the mirror” (“Outgrown”). The EP regularly stays in the major key, buoyant and carried with a sense of liberation. “Goldmine” is one of the strongest tracks, its tempo rambles actively and features composite acoustic guitar interplay – Stonestreet sings and strums while Dixon walks an uplifting melody across the fretboard.
The Only Way to Kill You is an excellent introduction to new songwriters nailing down a signature sound. They perform passionately, with clear inspiration that even the folk veterans Gomez have folded onto their tour.
Engineered by Ian Watts and Dave Etlinger
Produced and Mixed by Sebastian Rogers
Recorded at Magic Closet Studios in Portland, OR
Mastered by Richard Dodd