GRAE UNVEILS NEW SINGLE ‘ROOM IN THE DESERT’ AND

GRAE UNVEILS

NEW SINGLE

‘ROOM IN THE DESERT’

AND ANNOUNCES

DEBUT LP ‘WHIPLASH’

Toronto-based singer/songwriter and multi-instrumentalist GRAE has just shared her new single ‘Room in the Desert’ and an accompanying music video along with the announcement of her debut LP ‘Whiplash’ – due out April 15, 2022.

Dissecting her past to envision her future, GRAE is making new-wave pop music that’s both nostalgic and boundary-breaking. She crafts a hazy pop world filled with spacious vocals, buoyant production, and deeply personal lyrics. It’s both starkly intimate and boldly ambitious – the sort of music that can soundtrack a bedroom hangout just as easily as it can a venue of thousands.

With ‘Room in the Desert’, GRAE does what she does best, and that’s mix wistfulness with modern malaise. Stemming from a period of despondency and fluctuation, the development of ‘Room in the Desert’ derived from GRAE channelling creativity from the Cocteau Twins’ 1990 track ‘Cherry-coloured Funk’. When it came to the production for her single, GRAE set out to relocate from her past sonic tendencies. The impact behind the band’s enigmatic lyrics led to GRAE crafting her own sonically trippy endeavour where people could find their own meaning behind her song’s ambiguous undertaking.

GRAE shares this about the song:

“’Room in the Desert’ was written on a day when I lacked inspiration. I came into the session with my producer Connor Seidel not knowing what to write about, and instead of trying to fight that feeling, I embraced it. I decided to write a song about nothing, from nothing, using some random and interesting words we could find. At the time of writing, it had no real meaning, which was the intention, but now I actually find meaning in it, which is interesting. I hope those who listen can find their own unique meaning too.”

Directed by Gemma Warren, the ‘Room in the Desert’ visuals serve as a hallucinatory fantasy with desert creatures such as a snake, tarantula, and Amazon parrot appearing in the clip. “The music video is everything I could’ve dreamed of. Gemma’s creative vision from the start was really strong, and I trusted her artistic direction a lot,” shares GRAE. “We wanted to create a trippy video that complemented the psychedelic production of the song, something that could bring the song itself to another level. I think the video captures that and helps create an experience for the listener.”

GRAE expresses about her forthcoming album, “’Whiplash’ was born during a time of confusion and indecisiveness. Falling in and out of love with people I thought would be in my life forever but found myself desperately trying to forget. Did I love them, hate them, want to remember them or forget them? I was drowning in the nostalgia of a past I romanticized while coming to terms with the truth of it all. The album is so back and forth in emotion, but so am I. That’s how the title ‘Whiplash’ came to be. When you think you understand where I’m going with something, the mood changes and everything is back at square one. It’s an album filled with so much self-reflection, love, heartbreak, and discovery. Like anything I write, it was really therapeutic for me to get these feelings out. I’m looking forward to the release, as creating an album has always been a goal of mine, and finally putting one out there is exciting.”

Grae above

GRAE’s 2019 debut ‘New Girl’ paired her alluring vocals with dark, winding hip-hop-inspired beats. It put her on the map, drawing acclaim for Complex and Wonderland, but it left her wondering; “Who am I inspired by?”. 2020’s ‘Permanent Maniac’ EP answered the question for her. The Cure are directly referenced twice on the EP. They’re name-checked on ‘2725’ while ‘Just Like Heaven’ is name-dropped on her love letter to frontman Robert Smith, ‘Permanent Maniac’.

‘Permanent Maniac’ was named in Billboard’s ‘Top 30 Pop Songs of the Year’, while the EP has garnered over 5 million streams to date. Meanwhile, she’s featured on Spotify’s ‘indie pop & chill’ and ‘Outliers’ and has been named Apple Music Canada’s ‘Artist of the Week’. In addition, both ‘Permanent Maniac’ and ‘Soft’ reached the Top 40 of Canadian Alternative Radio while the latter reached #4 on CBC Top 20.

With over 15 million streams to her name, GRAE is one of the fastest-rising names in alt-pop. She has 120,000 followers on TikTok and 45,000 on Instagram, while her music has been heard on ‘Nancy Drew’ (CW), ‘The Bold Type’ (Freedom), and ‘Virgin River’ (Netflix). She’s finding ears all across the planet, and she’s doing it all on her terms, chasing the music that makes her feel something even if it terrifies her.

‘Room in the Desert’ is available worldwide now

‘Whiplash’ Tracklisting:

1. Boxes2. Spinning 3. Soft4. Grenade5. Forget You6. No Lovey Dovey7. Outta This World8. Room in the Desert9. Like You10. How Very Dare You11. Don’t Know To Girlfriend

SUPPORT FOR GRAE

“The gentle smokiness of the singer-songwriter’s voice bobs and weaves over an electric guitar.”Billboard (USA)

“Entrancing.”The Line of Best Fit (UK)

“An anthemic and confident debut.”Complex (USA)

“Obsessed.”Wonderland Magazine (UK)

“A refreshing cold drink of pop-infused with jazz flavours and topped off with a heavy dollop of empowerment.”EARMILK (USA)

“A sleek, cool, and confident anthemic tidal force.”Atwood Magazine (USA)

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