The underground music scene in Eastern Europe is well documented for its support of the bands working hard to entertain. What always amazes me is that many of these bands are heavily influenced by American music. One style in particular that does well there is pop-punk. We came across a band from Bulgaria that is making some waves in the genre. Open your ears and prepare for Better Than Grey.
The band got together in early 2010 after finding themselves without a band after a breakup. The band is made up of Justin Case (Vocals), Eddie (Bass), FranX (Guitar), Fiorelo (Guitar), and Steve (Drums). Based in Sofia, Bulgaria, the band has been moving fast since this current lineup took shape. Better Than Grey went to Italy in the summer of 2011 to record their debut album No Way Back after signing with Antstreet Records. Steve then had to leave the band as he got accepted to study drums in The Netherlands for four years. Luckily it did not take long for the band to find a very capable replacement in MonX. They have played around the area in Bulgaria as well as in Greece, Italy, Poland and Czech Republic.
Now Better Than Grey is trying to get their break in America. They made great strides with a 6th place finish in the International Songwriters Completion last year out of a pool of thousands of bands from all over the globe. I got a chance to hear their record recently and can see why they are on the fast track to success. With pop punk songs full of power like ‘I Am’ and ‘The Flood’, You can see that there is a lot of drive and energy. There is not much that can hold these guys back now. Even the piano open of ‘Yeah, Yeah, Yeah’ is like listening to a sweet ballad on amphetamines. Although this is speedy pop-punk, these guys really know how to handle their instruments as the songs lack nothing. I have a feeling we will be hearing more and more of Better Than Grey and I wouldn’t be surprised to see them on an upcoming Warped Tour.
Go fill yourself full of energy at: