By Kerry Doole
Grae - Boxes (Independent/AWAL): Without yet grabbing much mainstream media attention in Canada, this Toronto alt-pop artist has been notching serious numbers. Her music has over 15 million streams, she has 120,000 followers on TikTok and 45,000 on Instagram, while her music has been heard on Nancy Drew, The Bold Type, and Virgin River.
2020 EP Permanent Maniac sparked the buzz, with the title track named in Billboard’s ‘Top 30 Pop Songs of the Year’ and Soft reaching #4 on the CBC Top 20. Grae's debut full-length Whiplash, set for April 15 release, will fuel the momentum.
Her brand new single and video, Boxes, shows what the fuss is about. Introduced with throbbing bass, it showcases Grae's slightly breathy vocals and a style that fuses '80s rock (The Cure is her big crush) and dream pop to appealing effect. The track was co-written with Grae’s long-time collaborator Connor Seidel and co-producer Derek Hoffman (Arkells, Caveboy).
In a press bio, Grae shares this on the track: "The idea for Boxes came about when I looked around my room one day and realized I wanted to tear down all the posters I've had on my walls since I can remember. That was a significant moment because I always thought I'd be that girl wearing a band t-shirt with posters covering her walls forever. But I needed a change. I thought about how I'm 'not that kid anymore,' and I wanted to mature in my style and 'grow up.' I felt super nostalgic as I went through my band T's and started clearing out my space. I decided to write about the process of coming to terms with what it means to be an 'adult,' and this is the result.”
Grae plays Axis Club in Toronto on April 29 and Bar Le Ritz in Montreal, on April 30, followed by LA and NYC shows.
Links
Publicity: Jess Seguire, Alleycat PR
Aya NakamuraMarion Gomez/Billboard France