I wasn’t convinced about Daisy Grenade… at first.
It was nothing about them particularly — wasn’t anything with their music or persona. However, you know when there’s a band that you hear about the hype over and over again and for some reason you haven’t sat down and truly experienced them? Maybe that’s just my problem. The need to be fully attentive to an album when I listen. Let the music engulf me until it sinks in and, for some reason, my focus kept fleeing from me.
Of course, that is until I saw them live. Daisy Grenade, back when they opened for State Champs at Webster Hall, left me with a new found respect for what they were introducing to the scene. I wasn’t expecting to be won over by a dual-vocalist situation. Once they hit the stage, though, it seemed to make total sense. After all, our little blog here is founded on the vision of two best friends and, with Daisy Grenade, you could see they held that same passion.
There’s this thing when you spend too much time with your best friend. Ali and I can communicate without looking at each other sometimes. It’s a bit eerie, but our ability to work together is what’s made this blog thrive. Ali captures every moment in the photo pit that I’m diligently typing into my notes app for further review later, but it’s not like we’re even by each other to coordinate that. It’s not until she edits the photos, passes them over to me, and I write out my review that we even know it happened at all.
That’s the same sort of fusion I felt with Dani Nigro and Keaton Whittaker as their balanced dynamic filled the stage with an incredible presence.
Not to mention, they can sing. I hate to say it, but much of pop punk and emo music is based around some dude with rocky vocals, blasting the saddest lyrics you’ve ever heard and we all accept that and even love it. However, it’s refreshing to hear vocalists who can actually carry a tune. The best part was they didn’t give up the emotion to make room for their precise vocals.
Just as they hit each note flawlessly, the music was filled with every bit of rage and passion that this genre came to love. Maybe it’s just because we’re total fangirls — we’re women in music — but they connected with our own experiences in a way that the whiny men can only attempt to. That’s not a hit at those bands, either, because there’s a reason we’ll never miss an emo show, but sometimes that sort of representation is what makes you finally feel like you’re a piece in the larger genre.
Daisy Grenade is gaining traction in this genre for a reason — one that you’ll just need to experience for yourself. Their approach to rock music isn’t the same sort of pop infusion you might expect from their look, but it’s not some sort of forced rock, either. Instead, it’s an authentic call to all of the rock that’s laid the foundation in the genre. It elevates the years of growling sound and transforms it into a warm embrace rather than just deviating into a modern pop world.
Does that make sense? I hope it does because, truly, walking out of the show, the excitement around this emerging band suddenly made so much sense. Every time someone tried to explain them to me, it was like the words couldn’t quite click. I experienced it myself, though, and can sign off on their ability to mesmerize even the most hesitant of listener.
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