Live Review: Yorke shines on her debut 'First Light'

Byron Bay singer-songwriter GRACE HUGHES has 'graced' us with the stunning 'First Light' under her new YORKE moniker. Co-written by Chris Collins of Tigertown, her debut places her skills for tight hooks and spacious melodies front and centre.

After writing and performing in and out of Byron Bay for the past decade, Grace Hughes adopted the moniker of Yorke as a homage to New York City. To Yorke, the Big Apple is a constant source of inspiration recognised not only through her name, but in the halcyonic and introspective sound evident on 'First Light'. The track also found inspiration in an old film photograph Chris Collins brought to the studio session of the sun setting over a country road, leading to a warm and welcoming sound that encapsulates everything about Grace Hughes' new project.

With booming percussion, hopeful piano chords and layers of soaring vocals, Yorke creates a vision of bittersweet love. The track moves with anthem-like buoyancy, from quiet and contemplative verses to an explosion of upbeat energy in the chorus. Beyond the bright indie-pop style there's a strong sense of depth and honesty on display - the songwriting exudes overcoming adversity not only within yourself, but in someone you love. That's a lot to get across while also delivering hooks and tight melodies, but Yorke absolutely pulls it off.

Yorke describes 'First Light' as "the kind of song you'd imagine blasting in your car late at night," and once you listen you can absolutely see that. It's such a vivid track you can almost picture the music video in your head; driving down a country road in a convertible with hair billowing in the wind, maybe some slow motion shots of people running towards each other? I dunno, I'm not a director, but I do know that 'First Light' is a fantastic debut from the new-and-improved Grace Hughes, and I can't wait to see what she does next.

IMAGE: SUPPLIED

WORDS BY MAX LEWIS

LISTEN TO MORE NEW MUSIC HERE

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