Greyscale Records Signs Wollongong Outfit Graves Ahead Of Debut LP

Just over a month after announcing itself with inaugural signing Our Past Days, nascent independent label Greyscale Records has unveiled the second act to join its growing roster of acts in Wollongong heavy-hitters Graves.

The NSW five-piece have signed with the up-and-coming label ahead of the release of their debut studio full-length, Monster, which is lined up to drop on Friday 21 October via their new home. From the sounds of things, it's an album with palpably personal influences, most recently highlighted by the themes laid bare by vocalist Rhys Benn on deft new single Fear.

"Fear is about being the black sheep of my family, the failure," Benn said in a statement. "I never really felt accepted or welcomed at home and this song is the culmination of the different emotions and mind-frame I experienced during this time. Fear sums up the experience of me realising the fact that's who I am, and that my family fears me for what they pushed away and created. A single chapter in the book that is the album."

This is not meant to minimise those feelings in any way, but — having shared stages with contemporaries such as Confession, Thy Art Is Murder and Parkway Drive, and even having nabbed a national support slot for visiting US crew Suicide Silence — it's hard to seriously view Benn or his band-mates as failures of any kind, and their inclusion in Greyface Records' early plans only further serves to show that, sometimes, families just don't know what they're talking about.

Monster is available for pre-order now.

For more information about Graves' upcoming plans and movements, hit their Facebook page.