guest mixThe Grey EstatesvarsityComment

guest mix: Varsity

guest mixThe Grey EstatesvarsityComment
guest mix: Varsity

Today we welcome Varsity to The Grey Estates. Ahead of the release of their new album, Fine Forever, the band curated this Guest Mix for us.

This is a playlist we made while we were recording our third LP, Fine Forever. The playlist seems kind of all over the place but there's a reason for every song on here. Some of the tracks are just songs we were really digging while recording, some have a specific sound that we're going for, and some set a mood we were chasing. Not really sure how it'll play all the way through as a playlist, but give it a shot! 

photo: Alexa Viscius

photo: Alexa Viscius

Stef: We chose Major Murphy because they also recorded at Russian Recording, and on Step Out they used bongos - We were experimenting with them for the first time on some of our tracks on Fine Forever (Thanks to Ben Lumsdaine, who engineered and mixed the record).

Stef: I kept playing Hello it's Me by Todd Rundgren on the Russian's grand piano because it has amazing major 7th chords and is really fun to play. The album is full of 7th chords (almost every song?)

Pat: Tom Petty passed away while we were on tour and it hit us all pretty hard. We were big fans and wanted to try and channel some of the Heartbreakers energy into some of these songs. Songs like Runaway and Shaking Hands are definitely indebted to his style.

Paul: We all vibe on Hospitality and their ability to shift moods and keys so seamlessly. There is a moodiness on their song Going Out that parallels songs like Sicko World and Wrecking Line off our new record. We always thought the chorus of The Memphis Group sounded like a Hospitality song too. 

Dylan: Staying on the theme of amazing major 7th chords, I could not stop listening to Stevie Wonder for about 18 months straight and it definitely culminates with this song Golden Lady. The mood of this song changes so frequently and seamlessly, and everything gets glued together by these chords. Had a huge impact on a lot of the chords progressions we used on this album and continues to be a massive influence on the way I listen to music.