GRENON – ‘Imaginary Friends'

Review by Matt Wong & Staff

Punk inspired pop-rock band GRENON are a bunch of teenage kids from the middle of nowhere in New Hampshire. The band is comprised of Kacie Grenon (lead vocals/guitar), Nick Turgeon (lead guitar, vocals), Zachary Stone (drums), and Spencer Gregory (bass, keys, vocals). When this group of teens found themselves with too many feelings and no outlet for expression, they turned to music. In 2019, ReverbNation selected GRENON to compete in LiveNation’s High School Rock Off at the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame where they advanced to the finals. GRENON was also a semi-finalist and opening act for Radio.com's 'We Can Survive Concert' at the Hollywood Bowl. In addition to their Best Video nod, New England Music Awards honored GRENON with a second nomination for 2019 Best New Act. The band released their debut single Goodbye in 2019 and are currently supporting their latest release, the 5-song EP, mental hell[th]. Off mental hell[th], GRENON will impress you with their song, "Imaginary Friends."

“Imaginary Friends” begins with a broadcast message which sets up the story that the song’s lyrics tell. You hear a voice talking about a Homecoming dance and "everyone's there and you're sitting home like a loser." The song then goes into a full band intro with the guitar playing an interesting hook followed by the vocals entering on the first verse. The rest of the band then drops out, except for the guitar, which plays a doubled low driving 8th part on muted power-punk chords.

The vocals, performed by Kacie Grenon, are brilliantly processed with the deliberate use of delay. The delay trail helps set the mood of the song and contributes to the vibe of the story. Kacie's voice is slightly edgy with a great radio-ready tone. "Waiting for a call from a friend, they’re all out living the life, and here I am with myself ..."

Halfway through the first verse, the full band re-enters, along with a clean electric guitar part playing arpeggios, giving the song a sudden spike in dynamics, energy, and character. A pre-chorus returns to the vocal/piano duo, but just when listeners get comfortable, the arrangement throws a slick guitar lick at them and transitions the song into the next chorus. The band tones things down a bit on the bridge, but uses this section to show off some of their instrumental chops, before ramping back up for one more chorus.The arrangement to "Imaginary Friends" is very well-conceived and keeps listener's ears locked in to every note. The lyrics in “Imaginary Friends” tells the classic teenage story of being an outcast and feeling alone. The band, describing their song as “an anthem for the lonely,” sings lyrics such as “It’s Saturday night, do you think I’ll get invited tonight” and “Wow I’m such a loner. I stand out like a wallflower.”

“Imaginary Friends” by GRENON is a very well written song featuring an outstanding performance. Although a young band, GRENON performs with a maturity level that far exceeds that of their peers and it is clear that they can stand toe to toe with music on the airwaves today. Their musicianship is at high level, and their ability to arrange intelligently is unbelievable. This is a band to pay close attention to. It is not your imagination, GRENON is a 2020 band to watch. For more information on GRENON, please visit their website.

You can check them out everywhere @Grenontheband

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