Album Review: "Boys get sad too" - Aleks Grey

Norwegian artist Aleks Grey has recently dropped his debut album, "Boys get sad too", which is said to act as a memoir for the twenties, and is about all the magic and chaos of experiencing our fleeting young adulthoods.

TRACKLIST

You broke me angel

28

Miss you anyway

Peter Parker

Five minutes

Please come home

Someone else

Sunset cigarette

Hurt me

Five minutes - Acoustic

Aleks Grey reigns from Norway and is notorious for his signature red beanie. He debuted as an artist in 2015 with his first single "Feel Alive". He's been steadily releasing music and performing ever since, but really made his mark when he released his duet single with singer/songwriter Iselin, "Five minutes" in 2022 which gained international recognition, got airtime on BBC Radio, and listed on national radio NRK P1 in Norway. This all has lead up to the long anticipated release of Alek's debut album which we will deep dive into today! "Boys get sad too" was recorded across Pytt Studio in Norway, Ocean Sound in Norway and The Cabin Recordings in Liverpool. Songwriting collaborators include Katya Edwards, Iselin Solheim, Charlie Snyder and Elizabeth Makris, and the album was co-produced with Sivert Hagtvet and Henrik the Artist. Throughout the album there's themes of what it's like to figure out life in your 20's; from moving cities and being on your own, to making big plans that never made it through, from making friends to losing friends... this album pretty much has it all.

You broke me angel

We kick off the album with Aleks' 2022 single, "You broke me angel". The story goes, he walks into a bar with his friends which happens to be his ex's favorite bar - and of course she's there. All of his friends are smokers and he is not, but he rather go outside with them and have a cigarette than have to face her. It's very apparant that this person really did some damage to his heart, and there's a lot of irony in the way he calls her angel. He actually implies that smoking cigarettes would do him less harm than falling for her toxic ways again. I think we all have someone out there who we feel this way about and therefore can totally relate to this song. "You broke me angel" starts with bright acoustic guitar, and unexpectedly explodes into a radio banger pop song with a heavy beat and Aleks' contrasting somber, heartbroken vocals.

28

Track two is "28", which is the song that acts as the summary of what the whole "Boys get sad too" album is meant to be about. One minute your life is just starting, and then in a blink of an eye you're turning 28. Time has slipped away and you're still not quite where you want to be in life. You're looking back and thinking about what you should've or could've done to maybe change how things could be for yourself now, and you're finding yourself comparing your life to others you used to know. The only thing is, you can't go back in time - all you can do now is move forward. This song features stunning acoustic guitar, with gentle piano in the background. It's a highly emotional song, that finally breaks down towards the end with an outburst of drums and energy... until it settles back down with one final tear-jerking chorus.

Miss you anyway

"Miss you anyway" is a super fun and cute song about missing someone that you really shouldn't be missing. They weren't a positive force in your life, and the more you think about it you didn't really like having them around that much in the first place; but there was something that was still addicting about their presence - or maybe you're just a little bit crazy, and you sometimes find yourself missing them. "Miss you anyway" has a super catchy drum beat, along with a thriving variety of synths and very heavy bass to help carry the rhythm and groove. This song will have you jamming no matter where you're at or how you're feeling. It's a feel-good song to put a smile on your face, get you dancing and to poke fun at the silly feelings we put ourselves through from time to time.

Peter Parker

If you somehow don't know who Peter Parker is, he's the face under the mask of the very well-known Marvel superhero, Spider-Man. In Aleks Grey's song "Peter Parker", he sings of a dark time where he felt like he wasn't good enough, and his partner wasn't there for him. A lot of relationships end due to misunderstanding, and Aleks sings that if he could go back he would try again, but even superheroes need a helping hand sometimes. All he needed was someone to support him while he was going through it, and he didn't have that. "Peter Parker" leans towards being a piano ballad, with Aleks singing so beautifully and showing off some techniques. I especially loved the moments where he'd do flawless vocal flips into falsetto, so smooth and effortless. This song builds and builds right up until the very end; it's a cathartic and soul-stirring experience.

Five minutes

Next, we have Aleks' big breakout single, "Five minutes" which features fellow Norwegian singer/songwriter Iselin (the voice in Alan Walker's hit song "Faded"). "Five minutes" is about how you just want to escape all the noise and stress of the outside world. You're tired of listening to the news and going outside having to face all the scary people nowadays. All you want to do is just for at least five minutes, lay with your partner, turn on your favorite song by your favorite band, and hold each other with your eyes closed while you let the rest of the world fade away. Being with them is your safe place; they're able to keep you calm and give you peace - and that's all you need in times like these. "Five minutes" features stunning piano and orchestral strings, along with a cathartic production style. The rhythm and groove is romantic in nature, is reminded me a bit of "Thinking Out Loud" by Ed Sheeran. Aleks and Iselin have such a beautiful creative chemistry, and the way they so naturally blend their voices together in harmony just feels so right.

Please come home

There's nothing worse than fighting with someone you love with; especially when you know that you don't want to lose them, and it's all just one big miscommunication. "Please come home" is one of the brand new, never heard before songs for this album. It's about when you partner leaves after having a big fight, and you don't know if they're going to come back. All you know is you wish that they would, because you can't live without them. This song has a finger-strummed acoustic guitar, with gentle piano to accompany. Aleks backs himself up with layers of heartbreaking harmonies from low to high, giving the song a heavenly tone. As the track nears it's end, during the final refrain, the production breaks down into a magical, cinematic experience.

Someone else

"Someone else" is a pop ballad, filled with pure emotion and harmonic storytelling. This song is about being in love with someone who has you in the friendzone. You try so hard to make them see that you're the one who is right for them, while you're sitting there comforting them while they cry over another person who clearly isn't the one. It's such a frustrating situation to be in, because they can't see what they have right in front of them; but at the same time you can't force someone to love you. That brings in the question, why are you doing this to yourself? Should you just let this person go? "Someone else" puts piano chords at the forefront, paired with an addicting drum beat and heavy bass. This song is dynamically all over the place in the best way; you can feel the rollercoaster of emotions as you listen your way through the track. One of my favorite moments is the bridge, which feels like a bar chant while Aleks sings over and over again, "Am I just a fool to love somebody like you?".

Sunset cigarette

"Sunset cigarette" is a personal song about how the smell of cigarettes reminds Aleks of a person he used to know that hasn't been in his life for a long time, and the closest thing he has to remembering them still is that smell of a sunset cigarette. Aleks sings of how different things are now, but he wishes that he could've stayed in contact with this person somehow. The song starts with the first half focusing on a gentle electric guitar doing down strums. Then as the second half of the song begins, it unexpectedly bursts into this energetic electro-pop song filled with vibrating synths, heavier guitar and drums. The production style is reminiscent to Taylor Swift's 1989 album for me.

Hurt me

"Hurt Me" brings on the nostalgic vibes, coming on strong as a full on 80's pop/rock banger. Aleks perfectly nails the shouty, heavily reverbed vocals paired with synths and the full band instrumentation. "Hurt Me" is about being in love with someone who knows it, but doesn't feel the same way. However, they lead you on anyways without caring it if hurts you or not. You come to realize this, and so you're ready to take on the punches and get the heartbreak over with. Although the topic isn't such a fun thing to go through, "Hurt Me" is such a fun and danceable song that makes you want to sing along. Let me tell you now, this one is going to be so good live.

Five minutes - Acoustic

Lastly, we end the album with an acoustic version of "Five minutes". We already know what the song is about, but this version bring a whole new atmosphere. It features just piano. You'll notice that the rhythm and groove is a little different, and the vocals are even more gentle. The harmonies are different as well at some points, especially in the chorus, they're so heavenly and emotional. You can tell Aleks and Iselin really took in the music and each other's spirit in this recording. The way it feels is so different from the original track to the point that it's almost like a completely different song and I think it was a genius choice as a final track on this album.

I feel like Aleks Grey has me speechless on this one. Going into writing this final paragraph, the only thing I could think of at first was "wow". This album is so well-rounded and that is very hard to find in today's music. Everything was so solid; the songwriting, the vocals, the instrumentation, and the production. Not only that, but every single song sounded completely different from another while still sticking to a style you could define as Aleks Grey. Every song had a story that intrigued you and then it sticks with you afterwards; not only because the lyrics are fantastic, but because the music itself is crafted in a way to be compelling to your ears. Aleks uses his voice and his words to draw you in, and then he traps you with addicting melodies and grooves. Seriously, what a phenomenal songwriter and musician that deserves way more attention than he's getting. Please, enjoy this album over and over again and make sure to follow Aleks on his socials below to keep up on his journey.

Written By Kaitlyn Nicole

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