With a depth of songwriting that is overlooked by alot of bands these days, Edinburgh’s Graystar show genuine signs of promise on their new LP, A Million Pieces. Formed by Liverpool songwriter Dominic James, the band get off to a slow start but improve dramatically as the record wears on. ‘Freaks’ has that horrible reverb on the vocals that makes it sound cheap and amateur but ‘Free’ is a song of genuine quality. From the lilting piano and underproduced percussion which accompanies it perfectly, James’ introspective lyrics work their way comfortably into the song. The sound is very indie, but it would be unfair to compare them to bands like Starsailor and Keane, for the quality of the songwriting is what realy shines through. There’s also enough in the songs to distinguish them from each other, ‘Cry No More’ features a touch of Spanish guitar and ‘Life Support’ sounds a little like a chilled-out Stone Roses. ‘Satellites’ is perhaps the best constructed song on the record, a slow intro builds up to a lilting melody that doesn’t sound out of place, and it could only really be improved upon by getting rid of that pesky vocal reverb which shows up again. Closing out the album are ‘Sleeper’, which is appropriately titled as it is a simple and straightforward ballad, and ‘More or Less’ rounds things off rather nicely. It’s a solid set of songs from a band that sound like they’re only just getting started.