As someone who still plays Empty Black regularly, a new single from Greyhaven is an absolute treat. The Louisville based four piece have premiered “A Match Where Great Fire Should Be” via Revolver, revealing a song title that immediately and powerfully conjures a mental image of inadequacy.
Delectable from its introductory sense of contemplation created by gentle openness, “A Match Where Great Fire Should Be” soon tumbles into sharpened edges and rhythmic collisions that were similarly revealed on Empty Black. Shifting from mood to mood, like staggering through different rooms of a house, listeners are led through discomfort and unease along with Greyhaven. Observations are made plain, coming across as a deterioration of relationship connections due to the protagonist’s choices.
“And I’d hate for you to notice”
Hitting with flared out punches and feverish vocal desperation, “A Match…” leaves an impact in its tension as much as it does with its more serene and melodic moments. Striding riffs, technical pockets, and searching heights have Greyhaven’s guitars landing impressively, as do the intertwined vocals toward the end in particular; vibing as something hopeful for change and alternatively as something more defeated/sombre.
I adore Greyhaven’s penchant for their songs unfolding in chapters, structure-wise, and it’s a joy to have “A Match…” be no different to this. The track ends with grandeur and frayed edges… before a gentle strum seems to promise that there’s more to come from the quartet (yes please!).
In terms of inspiration for the song, vocalist Brent Mills has explained: “This song is about recognizing the need for change and opportunity for growth. I was struggling with where my life was for a while and struggling with my relationships with important people in my life and I realized that I needed to make the right decisions for myself and really make myself happy which I wasn’t doing for a long time. I think I used other people as excuses for my behavior instead of really taking ownership of it. That’s a huge thing I’ve learned this year and this song is mostly a reaction to all of that.”
While we can only dream of seeing Greyhaven hit Australian shores at some point in the future, US fans will have the pleasure of catching Greyhaven on tour with Counterparts, Stray From The Path, Varials, and Chamber.
Watch “A Match Where Great Fire Should Be” below via YouTube, and stream via your favourite places.
