Grey Market stride out as one of London's most exciting new bands with debut EP

Grey Market | Deadstock

"Another anecdote from my oh-so-relatable life"

Only a month after London-quintet Grey Market surprise-dropped their first single at the close of 2020, they’re back all guns blazing with the release of debut EP Deadstock.

In the punk-rock laced vein of Iceage, Ceremony and Idles, Grey Market are a fury of violent ecstasy, combining fast riffs and thunderous determination. A hot favourite to keep an eye on as 2021 kicks off, the debut was recorded at the start of last year before a tragic fire laid ruin to FuzzBrain Studios’ original site. With only a handful of shows to their name, cut short by the Coronavirus epidemic, the band dropped under the radar and underwent various lineup changes over the course of 2020.

As they make their return, opener Batteries explodes into a spoken-word style reading lifted from Murakami’s The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle, swirling in an exploration of the need to recharge. Similar in style to the heavier tracks of La Dispute’s Here, Hear EPs, the shouting delivery meets melody succinctly, pouring emotional energy into every syllable.

Fronted by vocalist Theo Araby-Kirkpatrick, third track Science sees the band at their most visceral. Exemplary of why post-punk has been so embraced by the London scene as of late, Grey Market’s energetic and gritty take on the genre shines, with inspiration gleaned from the noise-fueled attack of hardcore, and overlapped with clever lyricism and perfectly-timed still moments. Made for the tight spaces of underground clubs, their music comes together as a group that are desperate for the return of live shows - dark rooms and

flailing limbs, hot sweat and the screaming voices of a crowd. As final track Trust closes the EP, the repeated line of ‘you wouldn’t trust me if I were you’ glistens with a threatening aura, dipping into a haunting quiet filled only by tapping, accelerating drums.

If Deadstock is but a taste of what’s to come, Grey Market look set to be one of the most exciting new bands in London right now.

Listen on Spotify here, and check out the 90s-VHS-style video for debut track Boxes below.