GRAACE Takes Us Track-By-Track Through Latest EP ‘Afterimage’
“This has been the most visually creative I’ve ever been in my career since 2017.”
GRAACE (Credit: David Reiss)
Alt-pop queen GRAACE unveiled her eagerly awaited EP afterimage on Friday, 16 August, her first release in two years.
Known for her lush pop sound accompanied with heartfelt lyrics, the Sydney singer first gained widespread recognition for her collaboration with Hayden James on the hit NUMB in 2017. Since then, GRAACE has developed a name for herself with the mirroring EPs Self Sabotage in 2018 and Self Preservation in 2022.
While usually a sucker for a slow contemporary tune, the singer’s sound had dramatically shifted on her new EP, afterimage, incorporating synths, 90s guitar ambience, and her signature honey-smooth vocals.
“This has been the most visually creative I’ve ever been in my career since 2017, and it has been so fun to explore different sides of myself,” she said of the new project.
GRAACE added, “For so long, I felt like I needed to cage myself into a genre or look because I was told to. I wanted to explore the duality of being a badass woman (which we all are), not feel repressed and really explore different sides of myself that have always been there that I maybe haven’t shown to the public.”
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To better understand the method behind the mystery, GRAACE takes us on a track-by-track exploration of her latest EP, afterimage.
Jealous Type
This song was so fun to write because it was a collaboration all the way from Nashville. It involved Facetimes and recording between the two of us having to be awake at wild hours of the nights and days. Honestly it just felt exciting how committed we all were to this track, and extra special as a debut after 2 years of no music.
Love Is Getting Wasted
I wrote this within an hour with one of my best friends and producers, Xavier Dunn. I was going through my first situationship since a long term breakup and there was no better place to be an absolute drama queen than somebody I trust to give me no judgment and be such a safe space.
Her
I wrote this song earlier on in the process of this EP when we were not sure exactly where we were going, and I think that gave me so much creative freedom sonically here. I actually originally wrote this with two of my friends, Rory and Cyrus, and the production and chorus was SO different but I knew it was so special and held onto it for years. After being up in Byron for a week writing with Chris Collins, after a few wines and good food I remembered this song and knew I wanted to create a new world for it.
Miss You Babe
On this same writing trip with Chris, I was also staying with my best friend who happens to be another musician, Ruby Fields. We’ve been best friends since I was 12 years old and that played such a huge role in this coming together so easily because we’d already been talking shit all night haha. Her original backing harmonies are also in the final cut, which is so special to me.
Downgraded
This has been one of mine and my family's favourite songs to blast during COVID lockdown when we all lived together and it genuinely holds so many memories for me. I wrote it all the way back in 2018 and have been waiting for this moment to release it. It’s my sister’s favourite song of mine and therefore it has to be a hit. There’s no other option or she’s not speaking to me again.
Toxic
I wrote this song alone on my piano all the way back in 2017. Early 20s and figuring out love and pain and relationship dynamics was so tricky and this just fell into place. This actually replaced another song last minute that was meant to be on the EP right before we finalised it!
Honey
It was the end of a huge writing day (I think we’d written 4 songs within only a few hours) and I was getting ready to pack up and opened up my notes and remembered these lyrics I had written down in my notes from back in 2017. I wrote them in San Francisco with a friend of mine after having a cookie hahaha. I never thought I’d use them and suddenly started playing the guitar riff and the song no joke came together so naturally within the last 20 minutes of our session.
afterimage is now available on all major streaming platforms.
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