The title of the latest album by the art-rock duo is a direct reference to a line in Star Wars: The Last Jedi. In the film, reluctant hero Luke Skywalker achieves transcendence by acknowledging his own shortcomings. Karl Evangelista and Rei Scampavia of Grex accomplish something similar. The album serves as a platform for them to analyze the challenges they face as a group that operates outside of the realm of the mainstream music industry. The music is also heavily shaped by their living in Oakland, California, a place that is plagued by both economic and social inequality. In order to move forward, you need to be willing to adjust and accept that the preconceived concepts you were taught may be wrong.
The album opens with “KD” which is a reference to Kevin Durant, the star basketball player who used to play for the Golden State Warriors. During his time with the Warriors, he started to become more outspoken which was also viewed by some as controversial. The song uses this as a backdrop to explore themes of public personas, self-actualization, and non-conformity.
The second track on the album is “The Other Mouses.” It is the first rat theme song on the album, which also concludes with a trio of them. Rats is a pet subject (pardon the pun), that the band explores on their previous albums. Along with being musical partners, they are life partners who have had a number of pet rats over the years. Rats who have short life spans, have an unfair reputation for being undesirable. This becomes a fitting metaphor for a band who is part of a musical community that is considered to be on the fringes. It also takes on further metaphorical meaning when looking at groups who are viewed as social undesirables by those in power.
“Other Mouses” and the third album track “Beepocalypse” is a good representation of the band’s ability to blend conventional song structures with more avant-garde elements. Both tunes feature the dreamy vocals of Scampavia which is in contrast with the harsher (but just as effective) spoken-word delivery of Evangelista.
Speaking of the vocal contrasts of Evangelista and Scampavia, the next two tracks “Blood” and “Margot Tenenbaum” powerfully features both. Musically they contain a chaotic and confrontational vibe married with bursts of beauty. This becomes a fitting symbolism for the world that we live in.
Lyrically most of the tracks feature a stream of conscious, poetic flow. The most lyrically direct song on the album is “Criminal” which is a politically explicit tune that protests the fascistic policies of President Rodrigo Duterte in the Philippines. Even though it may be a scathing indictment of Duterte, the issues addressed go beyond one politician or country. In episode 15 of the Ongoing of Protest Music Podcast, Evangelista further discusses the motivation behind the song’s composition.
Part of what gels the album as a cohesive whole is how they employ the art of track sequencing. After the audio assault of “Criminal”, this is followed up by “Moon Baby.” This track may be the best distillation of what makes Grex music so poignant. Lyrics such as “we didn’t know that you
were alive. We didn’t notice you growing inside. We fed you our darkness, our fears, and our pride. We tried to forget and we tried to survive,” accomplish the almost impossible feat of equally expressing feelings of regrets and being overwhelmed, with feelings of optimism. This perfectly paves the way for the previously mentioned trilogy of rat tunes that close out the album. Even if we are viewed as social undesirables it is possible to successfully persist.
After the eleven tracks that make up Everything You Said Was Wrong, digital versions of the album (and possibly other versions), include five additional songs that make up the EP Everything Stays. It includes previously unreleased and reworked tunes. Stylistically it is a departure from the album, so it is understandable why it would be viewed as a separate artistic work. Overall it is is a nice bonus. It appropriately concludes with “Goodnight” a sprawling instrumental lullaby for rats. In a sense, to the powers that be, we are all rats. But Grex reminds us that we are also loved and it is possible to persist and rise above the turmoil.
In a world amidst a pandemic and economic, environmental, and social upheaval, Grex delivers the perfect soundtrack that resonates in the current climate. Everything You Said Was Wrong is essential listening.
The album will be released on September 5th. On the same day, they will be doing a record release show where the proceeds will go towards ACLU and influential free jazz drummer Milford Graves.