Sickly sweet vocals over disturbing and threatening lyrics. Ever since her debut EP Self Sabotage in 2018, Sydney’s GRAACE has long been able to deliver a sucker-punch to the gut while her honey-soaked voice washes right over you. Most can still recall the soaring surreal of “Numb,” her triple-platinum collaboration with Hayden James that first launched her into public consciousness.
As her first new release in two years, the afterimage EP is GRAACE’s familiar reminder that love is full of projections from past experiences. Despite the clear sabotage (“Jealous Type”), hopelessness (“Love Is Getting Wasted”), and petty grudging (“Downgraded”), there is beauty amid the heartbreak. With rueful reflections, tonal experimentation and some seriously daring production on tracks like “Honey”, afterimage proves girlhood can be witty, naive, bold and toxic all at once.
Stream: GRAACE, afterimage
This review features in the September-November 2024 issue of Rolling Stone AU/NZ. If you’re eager to get your hands on it, then now is the time to sign up for a subscription.
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