Greyson Chance - Palladium [Review]

American singer-songwriter Greyson Chance rose to fame more than a decade ago when a video of him performing Lady Gaga's hit "Paparazzi" at a school talent show went viral. It caught the attention of Ellen DeGeneres who had him perform the song on her show and also signed him to eleveneleven, her record label under which Greyson released his debut album Hold on 'Til the Night. Ask Greyson himself, however, what he considers to be his debut album, and he will cite 2019's portraits - and with very good reason. Hold on 'Til the Night has some gems on it such as "Heart Like Stone" and "Summertrain," but most of the songs did not much involve him in the writing process and are therefore not authentically his. For starters, many of the songs on the album are about female love interests (there is even a song titled "Cheyenne"), and Chance has since come out as gay. portraits therefore marked his first full-length album on which he was expressing himself as a person and as an artist authentically. (Given the perspective that Greyson recently shone light on regarding Ellen's manipulative behavior, which Charlie Puth soon after corroborated, we can add that to the list of reasons why he seems to dismiss that album.) Following portraits, Greyson proceeded to tease the follow-up titled Trophies. Unfortunately, however, that - released in June of 2021 - ended up being more of an EP than an album, with several tracks such as "Honeysuckle" and "Bad to Myself" (just to name a couple) being released as stand-alone singles but not making it to Trophies. (Greyson himself expressed his frustration with the record label interfering with that album's process, resulting in it being a different product than he had intended.) 2022's Palladium is ultimately the gift to fans who were anticipating a proper, full-length album following portraits. It features thirteen tracks as well as more of an overarching theme and narrative than Trophies does (or, for that matter, even portraits). This is, in fact, arguably the most cohesive body of work that the singer has thus far given us.

Palladium opens with its title track, which I am going to skip over discussing here only because I did already review it as a single release. The album then gives us "Aloe Vera," a song that seems to be addressing someone who thinks themselves somewhat of an offbeat hipster or something to that effect. (I am quite honestly not sure what terminology to use.) The person potentially even fancies themselves somewhat of a Bohemian given the line: "...When the money ain't there, then you just don't eat." Greyson is no stranger to using words to describe someone that would normally be seen as insults but that he is using affectionately, and his choice of word here is motherfucker: "You reading In Cold Blood like the motherfucker that you are." The song has a very slow, sultry beat, and it's very airy and soulful. I love when Greyson goes up into falsetto in the chorus: "'Nobody knows my baby.'" We then get "Down & Out," a mellow but sonically fun song with fluttering piano. A soft piano rock song in the vein of Jack's Mannequin and The Fray, the song seems to be lyrically addressing a relationship that left the speaker worse for wear: "I now know I can't be what you wanted," he laments in the pre-chorus, "when you pulled apart my body seam by seam." "Watchtowers" is a very short track at only a minute and eleven seconds, acting as somewhat of an interlude. It's a very beautiful song, as short as it is, opening on uplifting somewhat echoed wordless vocals which sound female to me, but I could not find any credit regarding who it might be. (Greyson is capable of hitting very high notes, as he proves right in this song even, so it could be him, but it doesn't sound like him to me.) It remains a very low and quiet song throughout, with piano providing the main accompaniment to Greyson's falsetto vocals, which definitely take the lead at the very front of the track. (The volume of his voice is refreshing, however, given music's recent trend of burying vocals.) It lyrically seems to be asking someone (possibly himself) to help him stay on a path toward personal healing and progress.

"Black Mascara" is, without a doubt, one of my favorite tracks on Palladium if not my favorite. It opens on gentle acoustic guitar and piano reminiscent of The Beatles (although its somewhat vintage sound also brings to mind Lana Del Rey, especially her Ultraviolence album.) This is an interesting one because I don't think that it's from Greyson's own perspective but rather from the perspective of famous celebrity women (which the visual lyric video released alongside it seems to support). I am once again reminded of Lana Del Rey - in this case her song "Dark but Just a Game." "...Their stories all end tragically," Del Rey sings in that song. "Sweet, what-whatever, baby, and that's the price of fame - a tale as old as time..." Chance seems to be tackling a similar topic here: "One day," he declares in the second verse, "I'll have some money after my funeral, honey. They'll say I was a legend - gone way too soon for heaven." I really like how the track gets a little louder and little more energetic closer to the end when it brings electric guitar into the mix, making it a soft rock song. "Mercury Year" is another track driven by piano (which is my favorite instrument and is approximately 50% of why Greyson caught the media's attention in the first place). It's a beautiful song and makes reference to the final song on the album in the second verse: "...When I drove off and you sang the balcony song..." (We then get "Athena," but this is another one that was released prior to the album, so I already reviewed it.) "Pallas," like "Watchtowers," is another short one at about a minute and fourteen seconds. It opens on an ambient sound that reminds me a bit of the Lost main title, and it's a unique one because there are two vocal layers that are out of sync, which is not something that you hear very often in music. It lyrically, as is the case with a few other songs on the record, addresses a relationship that has ended, leaving Greyson in need of healing: "I need some love now. I thought you were the one, holding my heart like it's palladium." I love the reference to the album title; like I said, this is, without a doubt, his most cohesive album yet.

"Homerun Hitter" is the third and final pre-release song, so it's another one that was already reviewed on this blog, but I will add that Greyson did comment on it specifically in a recent interview, saying that it's about thinking that he had everything in a relationship that since ended but then realizing that he is no longer sure what he wants. He pointed out that it's a very important song to him and helped him move past a breakup (which was likely with his ex-boyfriend Michael). Like "Watchtowers" and "Pallas," "Panthers" is yet another short one at only one minute and thirty-eight seconds. It is, as is much of the album, piano-based, but there is also a very low synth, and Chance seems to be singing about an unrequited love: "Paint my face in hope, darling... If only I could be what you want, be the target of your love." It's a nice song, but my only real complaint with it is its brevity since it sort of does abruptly cut off without a satisfying conclusion. Palladium then gives us one of the album's singles (complete with a cinematic music video), "My Dying Spirit." It makes sense that Chance would release this one as a single and music video because it's definitely one of the bigger sounding songs on the album and also somehow seems to be one of the most personally raw. In the second verse, for example, he addresses two personal issues that he has addressed previously in his music: (1) his eating disorder on "Bad to Myself" and (2) his habitual drinking on "stand." "I'm hanging on needless hunger," he admits, "keeps the tears out the devil's eyes. I don't eat because he tells me that it's fine. Barely even standing now. Goddamn, I need another round." It's a piano rock track, another one reminiscent of bands like Jack's Mannequin and The Fray, and I love its inclusion of a gospel-esque choir. Most of Palladium takes pride in its raw simplicity, but this track is definitely one that stands out, and I wholeheartedly mean that as a compliment; it's a highlight for sure.

The penultimate effort on the album is "Hemingway, 74 rue de Cardinal," definitely another highlight. In fact, this is up for favorite song from the album. (It is kind of hard to choose between this and "Black Mascara.") Carried along primarily by acoustic guitar and piano as well as beautifully harmonized vocals, it has an absolutely beautiful and haunting melody especially in the chorus, making it one of the album's more infectious and memorable tracks if not the most memorable.. The lyrics are also so intense and hard-hitting, seemingly about Chance grieving the end of a relationship and wondering what legacy he will leave behind as an artist, contrasting himself from poets and folk musicians such as Ernest Hemingway (the song's namesake), Bob Dylan, and Joni Mitchell: "I'm no Dylan in the Village putting typewriters to shame. I've got stacks of empty paper. I've got nothing to my name." This could possibly be referencing Greyson's lack of mainstream success despite the several albums and EPs under his belt and the fact that he debuted as a viral sensation. While I don't care much about charts when it comes to music (the pop music fandom is seriously so toxic with its talk of "flops" and obsession with awards and chart numbers), there is a level of frustration for me because while yes, he does create alternative music that wouldn't normally be played on pop radio, it's not that far removed from the music released by, say, Lewis Capaldi, who catapulted into mainstream success seemingly overnight. There isn't even a Wikipedia page for this album. Very little information about the album's credits and whatnot are available on Genius, and there are also very few lyrical annotations on Genius. He simply doesn't get the recognition that he deserves, and that is a bit frustrating. Greyson, however, seems to overall be happy with where he is; when asked in the aforementioned interview how he feels about his place in the music industry, he said that he is in a good place.

The closing act is "The Balcony Song," alluded to in the previously discussed "Mercury Year." The track features minimal musical accompaniment, dominated by Chance's gentle vocals. I am honestly not sure what the song is about or who it's addressing because on one level, you could argue that it's addressing an ex-lover who has hurt him: "The fire of the night, you started wars inside the corners of my chest, the vicious look inside your eyes when you lit my skin like a match." It's possible that the "lighting" of his skin is intended to be a sexual metaphor, but like I said, I am not sure because he shortly thereafter follows that up with, "Hell, I'll never make it to your age," which suggests that the song is about someone considerably older. Could it be his father whose influence on him he has previously addressed on tracks like "Hit & Run" and "stand"? Although not my favorite track from Palladium, it is still a strong number and serves as a great closer. In that interview that I keep citing, Greyson said that he was going for a much more alternative sound on this album than he has in the past which I think is definitely evident, especially on "Black Mascara," and this album definitely showcases his talent especially as a poetic lyricist. It is also, as previously stated, his most cohesive body of work to date. Hold on 'Til the Night, portraits, and Trophies are all bodies of work that lack an overall focus or direction; they're just sort of collections of songs, but that is definitely not the case on Palladium. Songs build on the same story and even occasionally reference each other. In that sense, it's definitely his strongest work thus far, but that's not to say that it's flawless. You're not going to find the kind of catchy hook like you do on "shut up" or a fun, playful beat like on "black on black," and I think that Sam Thomas says it best in his review of the album: "...It does suffer from a touch of repetition. The body of work is a solid example of sonic cohesion, but some songs... blend slightly." If, however, you're looking for lyrics that pack a punch, Palladium is a good place to start.

Greyson Chance - Homerun Hitter - Single [Review]

American singer and songwriter Greyson Chance is set to release his next studio effort Palladium fairly soon (to the best of my knowledge, a concrete release date has yet to be revealed), and "Homerun Hitter" makes for the album's third single following the title track and "Athena" (both reviewed here). "Homerun Hitter" starts off very softly, with Greyson softly humming over a gently strumming acoustic guitar, and the melody in the verses is chillingly beautiful, with Chance singing in a somewhat higher register that occasionally drifts up into falsetto. The song takes a somewhat surprising turn, however, when it suddenly becomes a bit more upbeat in the chorus (which sets it apart a bit from the first two Palladium singles): "...'Cause I thought you were the homerun hitter, the cherry that never bitters..." I love the rhythm of the chorus, and I, in fact, think that this might be my favorite song of the three singles so far. While I don't know for sure, I suspect that "Homerun Hitter" was inspired, at least partially, by Greyson's ex-boyfriend Ben, with whom he broke up not too long ago. Chance has even commented on the song's meaning, saying, "'Homerun Hitter' is... a cold splash of water to the face. It represents that moment of looking at yourself in the mirror, unsure of what to do and where to go next. Sometimes you can be in love without it being the right love." Not only does he directly refer to being in love, that feeling of not knowing where to go next is definitely a relatable feeling after a relationship ends. Like "Palladium" and "Athena," this is a very open, honest, and vulnerable Greyson Chance, and I am definitely looking forward to hearing what the rest of the album has to offer. I seem to recall Greyson saying that this would be the final single released before the album drops, so we will hopefully get a release date and tracklisting soon!

Greyson Chance - Palladium - Single / Athena - Single [Review]

Greyson Chance will soon be following up his Trophies EP with a new album titled Palladium and has so far released two singles from it - the title track and "Athena." "Palladium" is very beautiful, featuring somewhat of an alternative rock Imagine Dragons meets Passion Pit vibe to it. Acoustic guitar and piano dominate the track along with Greyson's mid-register vocals, softly and gently fluttering throughout the track. (I absolutely love his vocals on this track; I would even go as far as to say that this is some of his best vocal work to date.) He also, in the latter half of the track, shows off his range by rising into falsetto in the song's bridge. The song is beautiful not only sonically but also thematically, as it is from the perspective of someone who yearns to be a specific person's protector and guiding light: "I just wanna try to protect you," Chance declares in the song's chorus, "like your skin protects your blood... and if I ever let you go, then my whole kingdom's done." Commenting on the song's meaning, Greyson has stated, "The song is inspired by an ancient Greek myth I had researched when I was in college studying archaeology. When I was writing the lyric, I thought of how the myth relayed back to my own life. Palladium is about protecting the most sacred parts of yourself, which in this case, is my creativity as an artist. Throughout my entire career, I have been told what my music should sound like." This is interesting because that very much makes it a song about self-love (as is his song "Bad to Myself"), but the beautiful thing about music and art in general is that, much of the time, it is open to interpretation and can therefore also be regarded by someone as a love song directed toward someone other than yourself.

In keeping with the theme of Ancient Greece (which will perhaps be the theme of the album overall?), the second single released thus far from Palladium is titled "Athena." "Athena" is a tad more upbeat than "Palladium" and also features electric guitar, but it is still in more or less the same vein, again sounding like a soft rock track reminiscent of Imagine Dragons or The Lumineers. Once again, though, I really love Greyson's vocals here. He seems to be striving to experiment a bit with his tone and his range, and I am here for it. (He almost doesn't even sound like himself in the verses, but he sounds great!) Of the song's meaning, Chance has commented, "'Athena' is all about letting go and surrendering to love... Athena is a God mainly associated with love, but she is also so much more than that. In many myths, Athena appears stubborn and hardheaded. In past relationships I've exhibited those same traits, and even more unfortunate ones too. For me, Athena is about recognizing those faults, and acknowledging that every person needs love... they key is just being open to it." I think that it is also worth mentioning that Athena is also known as the goddess of wisdom, so, in the song's chorus, when Chance pleads, "...Where is Athena? God damn it, I need her," he is very likely also asking for the wisdom needed to open himself up to love. The theme of the song reminds me of a line from his song "Low" in which he sings that "I think I'm ready to hear 'I love you.'" As previously mentioned, "Athena" features electric guitar, and that aspect of it reminds me so much of Jack's Mannequin, especially their song "Spinning" which even got stuck in my head after listening to this. I adore both of these songs, and if they are harbingers of what's to come on Palladium, then this is likely going to be Greyson's best album yet.

Greyson Chance - 8Track - Single [Review]

"8Track" is one of American pop singer Greyson Chance's best songs released this year if not the best, making it, in my opinion, a real shame that it got such a limited release (being exclusive to Spotify which not all fans even use). It has a soft and steady beat and an infectious rhythm especially in its verses such as the opening verse in which he softly sings at a relatively rapid pace, "Still hurting, and I track my tears on the ceiling, but they never drop down, and I'm dreaming. Why? Still calling, and I blame it all on my temper. Keep that 8 track running 'til it's splintered." Not only is the song so emotional and introspective, it also, as previously touched upon, has a very catchy melody and rhythm, making it that much more tragic, in my opinion, that it is exclusive to Spotify. If, like me, for example, you still live in the caveman days of making mix CDs, you are unable - at least legally (and even illegally, it would be a challenge) - to put this on a mix CD since it is not available to download, only stream. Moving on, however, my personal interpretation of the song is that Chance is addressing personal struggles such as depression and music serving as a remedy. It also seems like he might be addressing casual sex as a coping mechanism: "You don't have to stay forever," he sings in the song's chorus. "Be my passion; be my pleasure 'til I'm lost, until I'm lost." He also asks the addressee of the song to "put that needle on that record; play that 8 track 'til it's splintered...," which I think is meant to be a euphemism with more than one meaning. Most of the song is sung in mid-register, but the chorus is sung in falsetto, Greyson once again showcasing his impressive range and vocal ability. I am not sure precisely when this song was written or recorded, but Greyson did release an album earlier this year titled Trophies, and while I did share my frustrations about that in my review of the album as well as in my review of the soon after released standalone single "Overloved," I am now wondering if, given the title of this song, that was intentional. Maybe Trophies is, in part, his proverbial "8 track," and if so, I would feel a lot better about Trophies being so short because that is absolute genius!

Greyson Chance - Overloved - Single [Review]

Earlier this year (in June), American pop musician Greyson Chance released the follow-up to his 2019 album portraits, this one titled Trophies. As a big fan of Greyson, I was excited about a new album being released but was disappointed when the album only ended up including eight tracks, one of which is a very short track at only one minute in length making the release more of an EP than an album. Especially disappointing, however, was the absence of previously promised inclusions such as "Dancing Next to Me," "Honeysuckle," "Bad to Myself," and "Overloved," with the exclusion of "Overloved" probably disappointing me the most because we had not yet heard a studio version of the song. Several months later, however (in September), Chance finally released the song as yet another standalone single, and although I still wish that it had been included on Trophies (especially since that would have made Trophies a more complete work), I am really happy that we finally have a studio version of the song, especially because it's such a beautiful song. "Overloved" is a piano ballad that eventually brings in a steady but soft beat as well as what sounds like a small choir underneath Chance's voice, which stays in mid-range throughout the entirety of the track. It is lyrically pretty straightforward, a love letter to a lover (it's unclear as to whether or not it's about his current boyfriend Ben, given the age of the song) whose touch makes Greyson feel... you guessed it - overloved. It's interesting because I think that this song is the first time that I have seen the word overloved used. The over part implies that it's excessive in a negative way, but he doesn't seem to mean it in a negative way; the lover addressed in the song seems to make Greyson feel blessed, and like "Holy Feeling," in fact, there is a religious reference used in the song when, at the end of the first verse, he sings, "There's a reason why you left your ex at that church. Keep on praying for forgiveness." Since releasing "Overloved," Greyson has released yet another standalone single titled "8Track," but it is unfortunately exclusive to Spotify, and I use YouTube Music. I can't understand a decision like that which alienates a large portion of your fanbase, but here is to hoping that it eventually gets a wider release.

Greyson Chance - Trophies [Review]

Trophies is, in actuality, American pop musician Greyson Chance's third studio album following 2011's Hold on 'til the Night and 2019's portraits, although he would probably say that it's his sophomore album, and I totally understand why as even I, in some ways, consider portraits to be his debut album. He did not have full creative control over Hold on 'til the Night and was just a tween who hadn't yet come out as gay, with many of the album's numbers - such as "Heart Like Stone," "Little London Girl," and "Cheyenne" - featuring girls as their subjects. The album therefore isn't authentically Greyson Chance, so I totally understand why he would want to distance himself from it (even though I absolutely adore "Summertrain" and would love to hear him rerecord and/or perform it live now). Moving to discussing Trophies, however, it opens with "Holy Feeling," the album's lead single. Since I already reviewed that song as a single, I won't say too much about it here, although I don't know how I feel about it being the opening track. It doesn't really introduce the album's mood or set the stage like "shut up" does on portraits, and it sounds more like a song that you would hear in the middle or near the end of an album. "Nobody" is the latest song to have a music video released for it. It's a little bit more upbeat than "Holy Feeling" and reminds me so much of a One Direction song when the tempo slightly changes when the chorus comes in, and while I can't say with 100% confidence, I think that it's "Never Enough" of which I am reminded. It's a catchy and fun pop song with a heavy beat, acoustic guitar, and distorted vocals, and I am fairly certain that it nods toward my favorite portraits song, "black on black" (possibly because both songs are about the same person). In the first verse of "black on black," Chance croons, "I think I've seen you before on a poster that I hung on my door," and here in "Nobody," he sings (also near the beginning of the song), "The posters in my bedroom still remind me of you." The song is lyrically about being hung up on someone who really isn't any good for you (and maybe you no good for them). The speaker (likely Greyson himself since he tends to be a very confessional songwriter) knows that he needs to move on but keeps going back to this guy because of how great that they are together sexually: "Your hands, like the way they feel all over me... Every night, you get it right. Nobody know my body like you."

"Hands" is a little bit slower than "Nobody" and, with Greyson's falsetto verses and the gently strumming instrumental combined with a gentle beat, is a bit sultry and atmospheric. I think that there are a number of ways to interpret its meaning lyrically, but I personally think that it might be from the perspective of a gay man (again, likely Greyson himself) drawn toward and pining for a man who cannot or will not return the feelings because he is straight or at least unsure of his sexuality, a theme that I think might have been similarly explored on the standalone single "Dancing Next to Me." "I wonder if you'll ever understand," Chance reflects in the chorus of this song, "what it's like to be loved by these hands... Take a chance on the holy grail. Make me wonder if you'd ever waste it." I also love the part of the song in which he sings in the pre-chorus, "Then what's the point of chasin' pavements if you end up at home?" It's a very obvious nod toward Adele's song "Chasing Pavements," which is about pursuing someone whom, for one reason or another, you can't have. In fact, when that song was released way back in 2008, some people interpreted it as being from the perspective of a straight woman who has romantic and sexual feelings for a gay man, an interesting parallel with what "Hands" is very likely about in my opinion. We then get "Same People," kind of an interlude as it's only one minute long and lyrically only one verse: "Been meeting the same people, a never-ending sequel. Found myself too jaded seeing the same faces. Nothing is original. Maybe it's a miracle. Baby, you're just everything I needed. Maybe you're a little different." Greyson, in past songs such as "Hit & Run" and "Walk Away," has lyrically expressed a desire to stay romantically and sexually unattached, wanting rather to explore and stick to casual relationships, and he even expresses some regret regarding that in his song "Low" when he sings in the first verse, "I think about us back together someday... I needed space, so I left home, but now I'm desperate for the things I know, like how you made me laugh on a bad day. Where are you now? I need you, babe." I therefore believe that "Same People" - an acoustic, lulling ballad with Chance's vocals a bit distant and echoed in a way that reminds me a lot of Troye Sivan's usual style - is likely about his current boyfriend Ben, expressing gratitude that he has finally found someone with whom he is comfortable and happy staying, and with it being so short, I am thinking that it's likely a poem that Greyson wrote that he then set to music.

The title of "High Waisted" is likely meant to be a play on words. It's spelled to indicate waist as in the part of the body right above your hips, but the words high and wasted are both words used to describe someone who has ingested alcohol and/or drugs - a theme quite familiar to Greyson such as on songs like "Twenty One" and "stand." I just feel like the pun is likely intentional, especially since, when he sings in the first verse, "Light blue, high-waisted," he sings it in such a way that it kind of sounds like he is singing "Labatt Blue." The thematic focus of the song, however, is more so on a relationship or at least an ongoing tryst that is destined to fail: "You'd get too close if I'd let ya. We're too uneven together, so leaving's on my mind 'cause it's high-waisted love, and it's too tight on us." The song starts off with an airy and atmospheric instrumental, and I especially love the summery and feel-good sound of the chorus. "O Violet" is another highlight on the album, as it's definitely one of my favorites. It's a beautiful acoustic track with Greyson's voice layered in different registers for a rather haunting effect. The song is, to me, about finding who you truly believe to be your "better half," someone who encourages you to be the best possible version of yourself, and he has confirmed that it's about Ben. "I'm mad like crimson," Chance's layered vocals sing in the beautiful chorus. "You're sweet like blue. We found the space between us two. Worlds collide when I found you, oh, violet." I love the song not only because of how melodically and sonically beautiful that it is but also because of the several nuanced ways that it is lyrically subversive. For starters, it obviously makes sense for him to refer to the color made between him and his boyfriend to be violet because he refers to his own color as crimson (or red) and his boyfriend's as blue, and red and blue of course make purple (or violet). Even more interesting, however, is the fact that children's establishments such as summer camps color-code gender by saying that girls are red and boys are blue and that purple is a no-no, meaning that it's against the rules for boys and girls to fraternize. Greyson also seems to refer to his partner as Violet, traditionally a female name. He is therefore, on more than one level, turning heteronormativity and gender norms upside down.

The seventh track on Trophies is "Hellboy," but like "Holy Feeling," it was released as a single prior to the album's release on June 25th. I had therefore already reviewed it, so I won't discuss it here other than to say that it's definitely a highlight on Trophies and is amongst my favorites. Trophies then closes with "Clothes," a song that Chance has described as being about "me looking into my own self and thinking, 'Why am I so certain that I'm going to lose it?' And then I started noticing that I've felt that way not only about my relationships but about my career in a long sense, so lyrically... it's tear the house down, burn the clothes. It's just this fear that I have of the end." In the chorus of the song, for example, he sings over a strumming instrumental that persists throughout the entirety of the song, "...So fuck it if we fight. We'll always get it right 'til we don't." I quite honestly don't really know if I like it being the album's closing track. In part because of Trophies being so short but also because of the album's overall direction, I listen to Trophies from start to finish and kind of feel a sense of... longing as a result. It, to me, does not feel like a complete body of work, and it leaves me wanting more. As I said, this is probably in part because of its length; the album is only about twenty-five minutes long, effectively making it more of an EP than an album. (He, in fact, has referred to it as an EP here, but I have also seen it referred to as his new album.) The main reason why its brevity is really disappointing to me is that over the last couple of years, Greyson has released a number of singles that are now standalone singles, most of which were singles that were supposed to have been featured on this album. (If I remember correctly, "Boots" was always billed as a standalone single, but "Dancing Next to Me," "Honeysuckle," and "Bad to Myself" were all advertised as being singles from Trophies even though they ended up not making the cut.) He also teased several other songs such as "Overloved," "Cold Water," and "The Champion" which are not included, so I just wish that this work had more content since fans were teased with so much that wasn't followed up on. The other problem, however, is that I don't come away from Trophies feeling like I was treated to a narrative or even an overall theme; it just kind of feels like a random batch of songs, and I find portraits to be a much stronger body of work. With all of that being said, I definitely enjoy the music and am happy to have new music from Greyson, especially with "Nobody," "O Violet," and "Hellboy" serving as the main highlights in my opinion.

Greyson Chance - Hellboy - Single [Review]

At some point this year (2021), fans of American pop singer and songwriter Greyson Chance can expect a follow-up to his 2019 album portraits, although we don't yet know precisely when. (He did hint at the possibility of that being revealed soon, however, so we might be getting an update soon.) "Hellboy" is very likely yet another single from the album, and over the last year to year-and-a-half, Chance has released a fairly long string of songs and singles, and it's unclear which ones that we can expect to be featured on the new album or if, as was the case with many of the singles released prior to portraits, they will remain homeless as standalone singles. We have so far gotten "Boots," "Dancing Next to Me," "Honeysuckle," "Athlete" (released to promote the television series Love, Victor), "Bad to Myself," "Holy Feeling," and now "Hellboy." Of all of them thus far, I think that "Honeysuckle" remains my favorite, but "Hellboy" definitely delivers. For one thing, the suggestive lyrics are, to put it simply, hot as hell: "If you don't know how to touch it, let me educate ya," he teases, closing the first verse, and he later, in the second verse, confidently asserts, "I can show you things that'll make you think you're dead in heaven. Have me for dessert. I'll have you on your knees. You'll be begging for me, hot and heavy in the morning." The song definitely offers up some of Chance's most risqué lyrics to date, although his portraits track "black on black" makes for a pretty close contender ("...damn, boy, you got me fucking on my knees"). The song is a poppy tune with a little bit of funky Maroon 5-esque flavor, and my favorite part is when Greyson is... rapping, I guess? He, half singing and half speaking, pretty rapidly sings in the post-chorus, "Hands tied, bite your lip. Green light, flip and twist. Dark magic, red boot kick. I'm a hell boy, I'm a hell boy. Your eyes on my hips. Damn right, you want this all night, yeah. I might give you hell, boy. I'm a hell boy." I really don't think that I need to spend any time discussing what this song is about because I think that it's rather obvious. I find that post-chorus to be the catchiest part of the song, and I also love the bridge in which Greyson, in somewhat muffled vocals, sings in French: "Le paradis n'est pas réel sauf si tu es avec moi" (which translates to "Heaven is not real unless you are with me"). (I love it because French is such a beautiful and sexy language.) It's definitely a fun song although, as I said, not my favorite of the singles so far, and I am looking forward to hopefully getting an album announcement soon!

Greyson Chance - Holy Feeling - Single [Review]

American singer/songwriter Greyson Chance is supposed to be following up his studio album portraits (which I reviewed here) sometime this year, and I say supposed to be because it sure has been a long tease. Following the release of portraits in 2019, the singer first released a new song titled "Boots" later that same year, and promotion of the new album has been a slow burn ever since, with five more songs released since - "Dancing Next to Me," "Honeysuckle," "Athlete," "Bad to Myself," and now "Holy Feeling." (It is still unclear how many of these songs will remain standalone releases and how many will end up on the album. Chance is notorious for releasing singles that end up homeless, so it wouldn't surprise me if not all of them make the cut.) "Holy Feeling" begins with ambient nature sounds such as animal calls and moves into acoustic guitar underneath Chance's signature smoky low register. "Your body is here, but your eyes are wandering off," he begins, "in the cracks of your ceiling; I'm wondering where you are while I'm getting lost in the soft light under your skin. I'm waiting for you to give up and let me in." I do think that these lyrics (as well as some that follow) potentially have a sexual meaning as well as more abstract meaning, as I do think that the speaker (like Chance himself) is reflecting on his lover being present during a sexual act in body but not in spirit. (The chorus going on to assert that "it brings you to your knees, so give into me, holy feeling..." does nothing to curb this suspicion for me.)

I think that the probable sexual innuendo is intended to be secondary, however, as Greyson had this to say about the song's meaning: "'Holy Feeling' is about being present and focusing on the beauty of what's in front of you, instead of what lies unknowingly in the future." While I am not religious in this sense myself, I am sure that there are some Christians who would be upset by some of the lyrics, deeming them as sacrilegious: "...so what do you need?" Greyson demands to know in the aforementioned chorus, "Holy feeling, the type your God can't give you..." It seems to me as if Chance is requesting that his lover be present with him in the moment, not in divine thought worrying about things like fate and where the future is headed, because he can bring him greater peace and relief than God ever could. The song has a soft piano rock quality to it that is typical of Greyson Chance's music, reminiscent of artists like Edwin McCain, The Fray, Gavin DeGraw, and so forth, and it's sonically the type of song that you would expect to hear near the end of a feel-good high school movie in which a sports team enjoys an epic victory in the rain. It's a nice song, although "Honeysuckle" remains my favorite of the new bunch so far. Greyson also released an acoustic unplugged version of the song, which is much more stripped back and more raw (both in production and in Greyson's vocals) than the original version.

Greyson Chance - Athlete [from Songs from Love, Victor] / Bad to Myself - Single [Review]

I am reviewing these two songs from American pop musician Greyson Chance together because they were released relatively close to each other. "Athlete" was released in June of this year, and "Bad to Myself" was released in August of this year, a couple of months later. (It is November now, and I am just now reviewing them because of how busy that I have been.) "Athlete" is featured on a single of only three tracks titled Songs from Love, Victor which acts as the soundtrack to the new Hulu series Love, Victor, a spinoff of the 2018 film Love, Simon. The single features songs from Tyler Glenn, Greyson Chance, and Isaac Dunbar, but as a fan of Greyson Chance (much of whose work I have reviewed here), I will be focusing exclusively on the second track, "Athlete." "Athlete" reminds me a bit of Chance's cover of "Hungry Eyes," since it does have a bit of a retro '80s style to it. The song starts on low synths with Chance's vocals soon coming in, beginning low and then rising up into falsetto, showcasing the singer's impressive range. The song is a pretty slow ballad with synth, a light beat, and a soulful air. It lyrically seems to be about being in love with or at least having feelings for a man whose sexual orientation the speaker isn't sure of. "You are an athlete," Chance sings dreamily in the chorus, "and I need you the most, and I want you on my team." It isn't likely (although it is possible) that Chance wrote the song about an actual athlete but is rather referring to the love interest as such to fit the team metaphor. When people talk about sexual orientation, they sometimes refer to it as which team you're batting for. By Chance saying that he wants this person on his team, he is essentially (at least in regards to the way that I interpret the song) saying that he hopes that this person is androsexual so that he has a chance of being with him. My favorite part of the song is the synthy instrumental break near the end when there is a little less than a minute left.

"Bad to Myself" is not featured on a soundtrack but rather is probably a single from the singer's upcoming second studio album. (It will officially be his third studio album counting 2011's Hold on 'til the Night, but Chance, understandably so, tends to disregard that album and consider 2019's portraits to be his debut. It isn't that Hold on 'til the Night features bad music, but it was long before he had come out as gay and wasn't really given the chance to explore his true self through the lyrics, many of which he didn't even write.) Greyson revealed around the time that "Bad to Myself" was released that he has been struggling with anorexia disorder for several years and that that is, in part, what inspired this song. It's a piano pop song not unlike a good deal of what he has done in the past, and it reminds me of the likes of The Fray, Gavin DeGraw, and other piano-driven rock acts in a similar vein. Something that I really appreciate about the song is the fact that there seems to be a small choir layered underneath Chance's vocals in the chorus, boosting the song and making it pretty powerful (although I still personally consider "Good as Gold" to be his most emotional and powerful song, as it even frequently makes me cry). He has frequently sang about his habitual drinking in the past on songs such as "Twenty One" and "stand," but he opens this song by declaring that he's "done with the drinking, falling flat on my face, wasted..." The song is a love letter to himself, promising not to self-sabotage anymore: "Lately, I'm so damn tired," he sings in the powerful melody of the chorus, "of being bad to myself..." I also love how in the bridge close to the end of the song, Greyson sings, "Even through all four seasons, fighting for my new freedom," as this is likely a reference to his song "Seasons" (or as its titled on the re-recorded version on portraits, "seasons nineteen"). This now makes five singles that he has released since the end of the portraits era, so I am really hoping for the album to drop soon!

Greyson Chance - Honeysuckle - Single [Review]

When American singer/songwriter Greyson Chance announced on April 24th, 2020 that he would be releasing a new single - titled "Honeysuckle" - on May 8th, 2020, I initially thought that he was announcing the release date of his new album (the follow-up to his 2019 album portraits, a follow-up which he has been teasing for a long time now). When I ended up realizing that it was just a new single that he was announcing, I was, of course, a bit disappointed but was also very surprised because it seemed odd to announce a new single with so much time still remaining before the release date. I, however, digress, especially since the song was well worth the wait. Chance has thus far released three singles from this era - "Boots" (which is apparently a standalone single that won't be featured on the album), "Dancing Next to Me" (which, along with "Boots," I reviewed here), and now "Honeysuckle," and "Honeysuckle" is my favorite of the three, hands down. My only complaint with it, in fact, is that it's too short. Clocking in at 2:23, it feels almost like an interlude as opposed to a full song. The song begins with electronic production somewhat mimicking chanting, reminding me a great deal of the opening to Lady Gaga's 2011 hit "The Edge of Glory." "Honeysuckle" is primarily fueled by a sultry beat (that is hard to resist dancing to) and chiming keyboard, and Greyson's vocals often feature an electronically altered vocal layer underneath. Something that I love and find incredibly interesting about this song is that the melody, especially in the chorus, is almost Gregorian in how flat and unchanging that it is, yet the song is still catchy as hell. (I think that it is, in part, due to the infectious beat.) Greyson has stated that "Honeysuckle" acts as his "love letter to the summer." He also stated in that tweet that it's a statement regarding his love for recklessness, so it is pretty clear that he sees summer as a time to be reckless, and the lyrics definitely support this: "Honeysuckle, high in the tree. You let the world live under you like you're some good royalty. No one can touch you when you're reckless in the summer, that heat. You let him wonder, but you never let him sink in his teeth." The song seems to be celebrating summer as a time to have fun, to not allow anyone to get too close because getting close comes with the caveat of being exposed to the risk of heartbreak. In the song's summery music video (which was filmed in Chance's home-state of Oklahoma), Chance is seen riding on a motorcycle with another guy until they reach a small lake where Chance drowns the guy and takes his motorcycle. It's definitely a humorous way of emphasizing the song's theme of not allowing anyone to get too close. It's such a great track, and I can't wait to hear what the rest of the album (which, according to Genius, is titled Trophies) has to offer.

Greyson Chance - Boots - Single / Dancing Next to Me - Single [Review]

Young singer/songwriter Greyson Chance will soon be releasing a follow-up to his 2019 album portraits (which I reviewed here) with his third album (although he thinks of it as his second album since he considers himself disconnected from his 2011 debut Hold on 'til the Night, which I totally understand). The album is titled Trophies according to Genius, and he has released two singles - "Boots" and "Dancing Next to Me" - and although I will likely think of "Boots" as being part of this album's era, when he released "Dancing Next to Me," he promoted it as his upcoming album's first single, so I am guessing that "Boots" will remain a loose standalone single without a home. It was announced last year that Chance was signing with Arista Records - a major record label responsible for hosting major names such as Eurythmics, Whitney Houston, Alicia Keys, Avril Lavigne, P!nk, and dozens upon dozens of others. I admit that I was a little apprehensive when I read this news because something that I have always loved about Chance (especially since he came out as gay and started writing all of his own music) is his raw honesty in his music. His music has never really made compromises and has never made an attempt to fit inside a molded bubble of what top 40 music wants pop music to be, not even on Hold on 'til the Night, an album on which memorable songs such as "Heart Like Stone" and "Summertrain" seemed to promise an up and coming adult alternative artist in this young boy of only thirteen who had met critical acclaim after a Lady Gaga cover recorded at his school talent show went viral. My fear when I learned of the label signing was that he would now be asked to make compromises, to work with the likes of Max Martin, Dr. Luke, Stargate, Diplo, and so forth to make pop music that would chart. I am not necessarily knocking music produced and co-written by such people, since MARINA's Electra Heart album is one of my favorite albums of all time, but I am just using such names to make a point - to emphasize that I didn't want Chance to exchange his raw and emotional pop-rock ballads for top 40 pop songs.

The two singles that have been released since the label signing have somewhat alleviated my apprehension, although I still feel obligated to admit that the songs are definitely more radio-friendly than most of what he has done before. They are still, however, not seeming desperate for Billboard attention, so I chalk the somewhat new sound up to Chance wanting to try different things and expand his horizon as an artist, which I can definitely respect. Despite its memorable (and quite frankly hot) music video (which features a shirtless Chance engaging in a bloody brawl with another dude in the desert), however, "Boots" is a bit of a letdown. I consider it one of his weaker songs from his catalog thus far. Produced by frequent Troye Sivan collaborator Bram Inscore, the song starts on what sounds like a gently strumming electric guitar. Chance quickly chimes in with the chorus: "Ooh, I feel like I'm running. Ooh, I feel like I'm running in my... Ooh, I feel like I'm running." The lyrics of the chorus are rather flat and don't do much to interest me, but the verses of the song are better than the chorus. In the first verse, for example, Chance asserts that he "didn't grow up like you, on vacation" and that he has "been western before all of these punks..." As narrated on his portraits track "west texas," Chance is definitely a southern boy, hailing from the depths of Wichita Falls, Texas and then being raised in Edmond, Oklahoma. Fans know that Chance's affinity for cowboy attire (here is just one of many examples) is no secret; it's something that he proudly flaunts any chance (no pun intended) that he has, and he seems to be making a case in these lyrics that unlike some other Hollywood stars, it isn't an act because he is the real deal. It isn't my favorite Greyson Chance song so far, but I certainly don't hate it, either. One aspect, for example, that I do love is how he complicates this narrative by making it clear that he isn't using the cowboy getup to promote any kind of hyper-masculinity on his part: "Boots with the big heels, hot like I'm Nancy." Big heels are often considered a feminine accessory, and this is an obvious allusion to Nancy Sinatra's hit song "These Boots Are Made for Walkin'." Chance could have just as easily compared himself to someone like James Dean or John Wayne, but no, he chooses an iconic woman. (The song features guest vocals from someone who takes the lead at the end, but I can't seem to find credits for who it is.)

"Dancing Next to Me" is, in my opinion, a vast improvement over "Boots." Not only do I prefer its sound, but I also prefer its lyrics, and I think that he more impressively shows off his vocal ability on this track. The song definitely lives up to its title, as it is definitely a great song to which to dance. It has a lot of fun and upbeat electronic energy, and Greyson's falsetto verses are nothing if not catchy earworm bait. The song starts on a deep and low synthy bass-line until Greyson opens in a lower register, "Twenty-two, he doesn't drink, but he needs to let loose. He doesn't know what he wants, but I do..." By the time he reaches the pre-chorus, however, he is singing in the aforementioned falsetto, showing off his wide range. When Greyson first announced this song, I had a feeling that "dancing" would end up being a euphemism in the song, and I am pretty sure that I called that correctly, especially because of the bridge near the end of the song (without a doubt my favorite part of the song because of how cheeky and confident that it is): "I was yours for the weekend. Come sunrise, it's time for you to dodge your feelings. Call your girl to deny we know is the truth. You were who you wanted to be. When you were there, you were there; you were dancing next to me." It is pretty clear to me what Chance is saying here - that this guy with whom he is sleeping is closeted and in a relationship with a woman to hide his true self. With the speaker (who is potentially Greyson himself), he allows himself to be his true self, and Greyson knows this because of how present that this guy is when he's with Greyson, especially when they're having sex (or "dancing") as this guy clearly enjoys it. That is my reading of the song anyway, but I don't see any other way of reading it because, as I said, it seems pretty clear to me. This is possibly even an autobiographical situation for Chance because a somewhat similar narrative unfolds in the "white roses" music video. "Dancing Next to Me" is a fairly strong lead single from Trophies (if that is indeed what it is titled), and I am looking forward to the album dropping. The next single is titled "Honeysuckle" and is expected to drop on May 8th, so be on the lookout for my review of that!

Greyson Chance - portraits [Review]

After being discovered because of his cover of Lady Gaga's hit pop song "Paparazzi" going viral, Greyson Chance released his debut album (at the mere age of thirteen) Hold on 'til the Night in 2011 and, until now (eight years later), had not released a follow-up LP (just two EPs - Truth Be Told and Somewhere Over My Head - and many loose standalone singles). As a longtime fan, waiting for this album has consequently been rather painful, but what is interesting is that Greyson has said that he doesn't consider portraits to be his sophomore album but rather his debut album, and while interesting, it also makes sense. Not only has it been eight years since Hold on 'til the Night was released, he was also very young and therefore was not too heavily involved in the writing and production process, something that he discusses here in this lengthy and insightful interview. (He does not even have writing credit on approximately half of the material on Hold on 'til the Night.) It also makes sense because with his having been so young and not yet out as gay, many of the love songs on Hold on 'til the Night feature female pronouns, and Greyson now has the opportunity to express his true self through his music. Even though Hold on 'til the Night boasts some great tunes (with "Heart Like Stone" and "Summertrain" being my favorites), portraits is indisputably much more authentically Greyson Chance than Hold on 'til the Night is (which is why I probably won't ever take time to review it or the Truth Be Told EP), so, as I said, it makes perfect sense that he considers this album to be his debut. portraits has so far seen two singles released - "shut up" (which I reviewed here) and "timekeeper" (which I reviewed here), and as I expected would probably be the case (just because it usually is for me when it comes to most artists), the singles don't really do the album justice because my favorite songs on the album are ones that have not (yet) been released as singles. One aspect of the album that definitely disappoints me, however, is that at only thirty-four minutes in length, it is very short, and, in fact, while I had expected twelve songs from having seen the tracklisting, we only get ten because two of the tracks - "plains" and "lights" - are spoken interludes.

portraits opens with the aforementioned "shut up" (the album's lead single) and then moves into "bleed you still," one of the weaker tracks on the album. The song starts with a very heavy beat and glissando keyboard during Greyson's verses. It has a waltzy rhythm, and Greyson sings in his signature falsetto in the chorus. I can't explain why I don't find this one to be a highlight; I guess that I just think that there are more interesting songs on the album. "yours" is one of the most upbeat and one of the most radio friendly songs on the album, so it's not much of a surprise that the song has been selected as the album's third single. (The music video, in fact, is scheduled to drop later today - Thursday, March 21, 2019.) Even though "yours" also is not much of a highlight, it's at least more interesting than "bleed you still." It's a relatively standard love song which, although could easily be interpreted as being about a romantic partner, was actually written about Greyson's friends from back home in Oklahoma. Greyson, in the bridge, sings, "All these hours between us, they mean nothing. I'll be back to you one day, one day, and all these miles between us, they mean nothing. Oh, I promise we're okay..." This is Greyson telling his friends that he's still their friend even though he isn't home often, but it can definitely be interpreted as a love song in a romantic sense if that is more relatable to a listener. It makes sense that Greyson paired "yours" alongside "west texas" because both songs take us back to his roots - one to Oklahoma (where Greyson has spent most of his life) and the other to Texas (where Greyson was born). The interlude titled "plains" features Greyson telling a story about his mother which helps put "west texas" into context for us. "west texas" is a soulful and light pop song with a beautiful and catchy chorus in which Greyson, talking about his mother, soars in falsetto, "Boy, get the message - this ain't no New York City. Born and bred in west Texas, raised you to be different." I admit, however, that I don't like the song's insinuation that being from Texas automatically means that you're a good person (here's looking at you, George Bush) and also don't like all of the Christian references. (Greyson explained in this aforementioned interview, however, that the cross that he is wearing is a nod to his parents, so it seems like he grew up in a pretty religious household.)

"white roses" is one of my favorite songs on the album because it is one of the songs to which I relate the most. It is a breakup song that I believe is about the same ex that "timekeeper" is about, and Greyson said in that aforementioned interview that "white roses" is the first song that he wrote after the breakup. It is primarily a piano ballad with a light clapping beat and is somewhat similar to the likes of The Fray, and even though I do absolutely love the song, there is one aspect of it that disappoints me. In that interview to which I keep referring, Greyson said (unless I misunderstood him) that "white roses" would be a good song to which to run and exercise because it featured a really exciting drop. I thought to myself, "Are we getting another 'Earn It'?!" I don't really hear much of a drop, however, so maybe I have a different definition of what a drop is than he does. Like I said, as someone who went through an earth-shattering breakup that drastically changed me myself, I strongly relate to the lyrics, especially the line, "I never saw it coming; I thought we had it all. I feel you in those moments, those nights, held in your arms.""black on black" is, by far, my absolute favorite song on the album. Although I can't much relate to its playful and sexual energy (#TeamForeverAlone here), it's my favorite song on the album because it is, by far, the catchiest, and it's also, for lack of a better word, hot, especially the spoken part in which Greyson says, "California kid, you're a fucking sleaze, but damn, boy, you got me fucking on my knees." I love the playful synths in it which make it sound almost like a retro '80s track. "black on black" is definitely a memorable gem on portraits and from Greyson's entire catalogue thus far, so I definitely applaud him on this song. The album then moves into a much more upbeat version of "Seasons" (a previous standalone single) which also features new lyrics. (I discussed both the original version and this version - which is titled "seasons nineteen" - here.) "timekeeper," as previously mentioned, is the album's second single, and I have also already discussed and reviewed that.

"stand" and "lakeshore" are songs that I had already heard live versions of because Greyson Chance performed them on this Paste Magazine performance. (I prefer the more stripped back version of "lakeshore" that he did on that performance.) I really love the trilling piano on "stand," and I also love the powerful melody of the song, especially in the chorus when Greyson, with a unique strength in his vocals, sings, "I cannot move in forever; I stand on the feet of my drunkenness, I am my father's man" (a line that he said during that aforementioned performance at Paste Studios angered his father when he heard it). It's no secret that Greyson seems to drink a lot; it is something that he addresses frequently in his music (take "Twenty One" as an example), and this song seems to be lyrically addressing that. The album then closes with the previously mentioned "lakeshore," which, as I said, although a good song, is not as good as the version that he performed for Paste Magazine. Chance said in that lengthy interview that "lakeshore" is one of the oldest songs on the album, as he wrote it several years ago when he was eighteen, saying that it just seemed like the perfect song to close portraits. (I don't know if I agree because I personally feel that it does not feel like a closer. The song ends rather abruptly, and it seems like there is supposed to be more to the album, especially since, as previously mentioned, the album is very short in length.) Imagery of bodies of water and shores is imagery that Greyson seems to implement often (it can be found in songs like "Oceans" and "Lighthouse"), and he seems to be lyrically talking about being away with someone on a getaway and wishing that he didn't ever have to leave and go home. My favorite line is when, in the second verse, he sings, "Said you had your soulmate. How's that looking now?" Greyson sings the entire song in falsetto, and one thing that I do like about the version on the album is that it sort of has a tropical and summery flavor to its production which is appropriate given the song's subject matter. I overall really appreciate portraits and am so glad that Greyson Chance has finally returned with another LP, but I do wish that it were longer. It's disappointing to wait so long for an album and get thirty-four minutes, but Greyson has said that a follow-up is already in the works!

Greyson Chance - pre-portraits [Fanmade Album] [Review]

[cover art by OmenBoy]

I am doing something really unusual here - something, in fact, that I am fairly certain that I have never done before. I am reviewing a fanmade album (and not just any fanmade album, mind you, but a fanmade album that yours truly compiled)! There is, however, a method to my madness. The goal here is not to critique my own compiling work or anything like that. (The compiling method, in fact, is quite simple - the tracks are in chronological order of when they were released.) No, the goal here is to review Greyson Chance's standalone singles that have no home on any album or EP in one place rather than write a separate review for each single. The fanmade album, which you can stream here, is a collection of thirteen songs released by Greyson since 2014, songs that, as previously stated, are standalone singles that have no home on a larger body of work (with two songs that are kind of exceptions, which I will explain further). Without further ado, however, here is a breakdown of each song on the album:

"Thrilla in Manila" - While "Temptation" did make for the first Greyson Chance song that fans heard after his voice significantly changed, "Temptation" was only ever available to stream on YouTube and never technically got officially released, and "Thrilla in Manila" was intended to be the lead single from Greyson's sophomore album Planet X. Because he was dropped from his record label, however, the album never ended up seeing the light of day and remains unreleased. "Thrilla in Manila" was completely new territory for Chance (and remains that way to this day), as it is a funk song that, according to Chance himself, would have been representative of the overall sound on Planet X (something that you can definitely hear in another song from Planet X, "Animal in the Night," of which fans have only ever heard a live version). I remember not being much of a fan when "Thrilla in Manila" first premiered back in 2014 because it was, as previously stated, such a new style for Greyson but also because I am generally not much of a fan of funk. The song quickly grew on me, however, and became one of my favorite songs to which to work out. It lyrically, as Greyson has said, "speaks of turmoil between friends when relationships get romantic."

"Meridians" - While not, to the best of my knowledge, confirmed, "Meridians" is likely another song that was intended to be on Planet X, given that it was released as a single in relatively close proximity to when "Thrilla in Manila" was released. It is, without a doubt, one of my favorite songs from Greyson Chance's music career thus far, as it is a stunningly beautiful piano ballad with a peaceful and gentle melody that sounds almost like a lullaby. It is lyrically a reflective song, addressing a lover and reminiscing about good times from the past: "Let's go take a drive and think about our lives," Chance opens, "passing through meridians of greater times." As he does on song "More than Me" on the Somewhere Over My Head EP, Greyson Chance superbly captures the bittersweet feeling of nostalgia on this track, and reflecting on the past is something that he seems to do rather frequently in his music.

"Oceans" - Even though Greyson Chance included "Oceans" as part of his setlist when he went on tour for the Somewhere Over My Head EP and also performed an acoustic version of it on Perez Hilton's show, it is not technically his song (although he did co-write it, as he did all of his collaborations), as it is a song by tyDi and Jack Novak with Greyson as a featured artist. Greyson is the sole vocalist, however (as he is on all of his collaborations), and I tend to think of it as being from the Somewhere Over My Head era, especially since, as I said, he performed it on the corresponding tour. While "Afterlife" (the lead single from Somewhere Over My Head) is Greyson's first solo venture into electronic music, "Oceans" is his first venture into electronic music overall, and it certainly would not be the last. The song is an upbeat electronic dance song with a really catchy chorus that is easy to sing along to and is definitely a highlight.

"Anything" - Like "Oceans," Greyson Chance is technically a featured artist on the song "Anything," a song released under electronic DJ Frank Pole (who had previously done a remix of Chance's song "Afterlife"). Because Chance is the sole vocalist on these collaborations and also because he co-wrote them, however, I definitely think of them as his songs. "Anything" is such a happy, feel-good dance song that kind of makes me wish that I were in a relationship, and it offers some of Greyson's most impressive vocals of his career so far. In the song's third verse, Chance sings, "I'll pick you up where we left off, skipping all of the small talk 'cause words were never our forte, and missing you was the foreplay," which is definitely the kind of cleverly cheeky lyric that I have come to expect Greyson to write.

"London" - Released only several months after the Somewhere Over My Head EP was released, "London" is another song that I tend to think of as part of the Somewhere Over My Head era. The song, which is inspired heavily by the William Blake poem of the same title, is a beautiful piano ballad that reminds me of the likes of artists like The Fray and Andrew McMahon. The lyrics speak to internal turmoil as do many of Chance's songs. (He has even identified himself as a '90s sad boy.) "...'Cause in you, there's an angel, an angel trapped by fear. You're so trapped by fear." As someone who has a very long history with depression, I think that that is one reason why I love Greyson's music so much - I can relate to a lot of it.

"Earn It" - "Earn It" is the first of two songs that Greyson Chance did with DJ Fabian Mazur and is easily one of my favorite songs of Chance's career thus far (if not my favorite). The melody is easily one of his catchiest, and the electronic drop in the song is one of the sickest drops that I have ever heard in any song ever. Greyson co-wrote the song with Fabian Mazur, and lyrics such as "No, I ain't got a lighter" and "Your love is like a fine wine, drinks real good when it's the right time" make Greyson's involvement in the lyrics all too obvious, as lyrics such as those definitely have Greyson Chance written all over them. The song seems to lyrically be from the perspective of someone who has gone out of his way to show someone how much that he loves him but isn't getting the effort matched in return: "I'm earning all the love that I deserve; I'm earning you, and baby, I want more." It's definitely a relatable song for me.

"Hungry Eyes" - As previously mentioned, there are two songs on pre-portraits that are technically exceptions to what I said about these songs being loose standalone singles that have no home on any larger body of work, and "Hungry Eyes" is one of them. A cover of a song of the same title sung by Eric Carmen in 1987 for the soundtrack to the film Dirty Dancing, Greyson's version (which, in my opinion, is exponentially better than the original, and I am not just saying that as a biased fan) is found on the soundtrack to the 2017 remake of the film, so while it does technically have a home on a larger body of work, that work is a soundtrack compilation, not an album or EP featuring strictly Greyson's music. This version, as I said, is far superior to Eric Carmen's original in my opinion, and one thing that I love about this cover is the retro treatment that the instrumental gets. When older songs from decades ago are covered by artists, they are often given a very modernized treatment, but Chance's cover of "Hungry Eyes" retains an '80s sound, which is definitely one of its charms.

"Seasons" - "Seasons" is the second exception (although not really). On his new album portraits, Greyson Chance included a new version of the song titled "seasons nineteen" (likely meaning that it's the 2019 version of the song) which features a lot of new lyrics and is more upbeat with electronic fuel. (It is nowhere near as good as the original one.) The original version, however, remains a standalone single, and the song just works so much better as a soft piano ballad. The song is very similar to "London" in tone, and its lyrics are very poetic: "Linked to adventures I can't see, and I'm dreamin' of some time to breathe, and I'll walk to them 'til I'm black and blue." Chance explained that the song was inspired by something that his mother told him about how his life is measured in seasons, not in chapters. Also worth mentioning about "Seasons" is that even though he wouldn't release a studio version until a good year or so later, Greyson performed the song live as part of his Somewhere Over My Head tour setlist, so it's yet another song that I tend to think of as being part of that era.

"Walk Away" - "Walk Away" is another electronic collaboration, this time with Dutch duo Sick Individuals (stylized as SICK INDIVIDUALS). As is always the case with these collaborations, Greyson Chance is the sole vocalist and also co-wrote the song. "Walk Away" is a club banger that features a relentlessly catchy instrumental with a "ooh-la-la-la..." hook, and the lyrics are thematically similar to Greyson Chance's song "Hit & Run" from his Somewhere Over My Head EP, as the song seems to be about wanting to have fun with a partner but not wanting to settle down: "...I can't understand why you hold me to promises that I never planned," Greyson sings. "If you're gonna worry about tomorrow, then you're gonna miss today. If you're too hung up on the future, then I might just walk away..." One of my favorite lines in the song is when he sings in the chorus that "I don't know how to love you when I'm sober. If you want something more, I guess it's over." I don't really support the stance of the song (or that of the aforementioned "Hit & Run" song), as I would definitely say that the speaker is the villain of the story, wanting to use his partner for casual fun but not wanting to commit. It's brutally honest, however, which is something that I love about his music.

"Low" - "Low" is definitely one of my favorite songs from Greyson Chance's catalogue so far because it is so vehemently relatable for me, lyrically touching upon feeling lost and lonely in the world and wanting desperately to find yourself: "I see a dark reflection in my dashboard [a brilliant metaphor for feeling alien to oneself]. Don't even know where I'm driving to anymore." My favorite line is the following - "They say through time, I'll find some healing, but the clock is slow" because it reminds me of something that Björk said regarding her Vulnicura album about the healing process being a stubborn clock. I also love the song because I think that, in some ways, it serves as a sequel to the aforementioned song "Hit & Run" (possibly even having been written about the same person, as I discussed here in my review of the Somewhere Over My Head EP). "Low" is a very soft and melancholy piano ballad totally and completely appropriate for its subject matter, but there is also a remix done by R3HAB that was also released as a single, and that version is considerably more upbeat. (I definitely prefer the original version, however, as, as I said, the morose and heartfelt lyrics of the song definitely call for a soft ballad.)

"Lighthouse" - This song is Greyson Chance's second (and, so far, final) collaboration with the aforementioned Fabian Mazur. Funnily enough, while "Earn It" is one of my favorite songs from Greyson's catalogue thus far, "Lighthouse" is one of my least favorite songs from his catalogue so far, mainly because in comparison to many of Greyson's songs, this melody isn't as interesting or as catchy. It is also significantly tamer and more restrained than "Earn It," which is why it kind of surprised me that it was with the same musician as "Earn It" was. I do, however, really love the imagery of the song's lyrics, using lighthouses near bodies of water as a metaphor for searching for the love of someone whose love he has lost: "I left you deep in the water. I left your heart out to drown. You call to me... I know we are drifting far away from shore, but know that I will be here evermore in lighthouses searching for you out there." Much of my epic (and failed) relationship took place near a large body of water with a lighthouse (which wasn't operable, but the image is still prevalent in my memories), so I think that that is one reason why, as I said, I really love the imagery that the lyrics of "Lighthouse" offers. I just don't find it all that interesting melodically or rhythmically.

"Good as Gold" - This song is, without a doubt, one of the best songs of Greyson Chance's career thus far and definitely one of the most memorable, not only because of the positive and encouraging lyrics that speak to me on such a deep level but also because it's one of the very few Greyson Chance singles to feature a music video accompanying it. (The music video, depicting and dedicated to the significantly impoverished Lakota tribe of South Dakota, is also very deep and meaningful.) The song, a piano pop ballad with a catchy and anthemic chorus that makes it one of the easiest Greyson songs to which to sing along, reminds people suffering from internal pain and depression (a topic that he, as previously mentioned, writes and sings about frequently) that they are not alone and that they are not worthless: "I know you're hurting and you're feeling sold. I know it hurts when you don't know where to go [probably a reference to "Low" in which he sings that "I am lost, and I don't know where to go..."], and when you're tied up by the past you hold, you've got to know that you are good as gold." Another aspect of this song that I love is that I don't think that he is addressing anyone in particular but rather his fans, which makes his saying that "you mean so much to me" all the more impactful. Although not as good as the original version, "Good as Gold" also has a more upbeat remix done by Flyboy.

"Twenty One" - Because I had initially mistakenly believed that Greyson Chance's single "Twenty One" (released this past December 2018) was the lead single to portraits, I actually already wrote a review of it here, so I won't comment much on the song in this post. I will say, however, that it is the final loose standalone single that Greyson Chance released before entering the portraits era, so it's only right that it closes my fanmade album. It also works as a closing track on a thematic level, since it lyrically addresses Chance's newfound status as a fully fledged adult in all possible ways, which sort of both closes a chapter of his life and introduces a new one, which is one reason why I think that I like it even more now than I did when I wrote that aforementioned review of it. (Even if I had not compiled the tracklisting chronologically, in fact, I probably still would have put this at the end. There just seems to be no other appropriate way to end it.)