Jack Grace Shares New Single & Video ‘Redemption’ + Announces Debut Album out July 2nd via Of Leisure / Polydor
Paris based, Sydney born songwriter and producer Jack Grace has returned in 2021 by way of new single and video ‘Redemption’. Whilst previous singles ‘A Ribbon,’ ‘Daydreaming’ and ‘The Pavement’ introduced audiences to the expansion of Jack Grace’s catalogue, ‘Redemption’ solidifies himself as a standout figure in Australia’s progressive songwriting circuit. Alongside the single Grace has announced the release of his debut full length album, Turn To Something You Know out July 2nd via Of Leisure / Polydor.
A dominant and somewhat playful beat emerges from the first note and adds to the evolving textures in the first introduction to this release, the keys join the ensemble and complement the bold vocal notes, and immediately, you find yourself hooked. Listening to every softer vocal note gliding above this fierce bed of electronic elements surging through their fast-paced tempo and present throughout. Jack Grace challenges and then molds the intensity of this release, utilizing the compelling harmonies which alternate from direct to soothing, hard to soft. The lyrics and the gentle delivery, in turn, ooze such emotional charm into this release. Jack builds on this immersive attribute, the emotional connection to the artist, the lyrics, and the audience showcases the talent of this musician. From start to finish we value and understand the importance of this composition. “Redemption” rightly screams to the song title, the orchestration builds up and captivates the audience’s attention, we listen intently wondering where this exploration will take us, the intensity meanders but our attention fixated and then just like that the release is over and the finale brings with it a cathartic release from the consistent energy. Hitting repeat is necessary.
Jack Grace has allowed this innovative creation to bring these angular and obscure electronic elements into the limelight to accompany the poised and charming vocal tones, carefully controlling the levels of harsh to humble, making the lyrics rise to the forefront of the release and shine through the complex structure that guides this arrangement. “Redemption” is a work of art, beautiful, intricate, and more importantly vivid.
‘Redemption’ can be best described as a journey like experience. The track delves deep into a sonic sphere of sentimental musicianship, one that packages melancholy with hints of pop, soul and indie wrapped brilliantly with a nostalgic exterior. A pulsating percussion line combines brilliantly with Jack Grace’s evocative vocal. While minimal, the track’s energy flourishes as it ages, with each element serving its purpose efficiently.
On the creation of ‘Redemption’, Grace states, “I built the tune over a synth loop that sounded to me like highway noise. The story fell in and around that. I wrote the song out of hope for a connection through the search for redemption. I hope that out of the chaos and deconstructing we get a shot at redemption and begin some kind of a revival, soon.”
Accompanying the new single Redemption is the official video which was shot with Paris based production agency Septembre00 and shot in multiple locations in the south of France. The director Guillem Cruels, says on the video “I always loved to drive a car. I think that is a moment where your body is occupied driving and your mind travels through different thoughts or memories. When Septembre 00 and Jack proposed me to work on a project around the concept of Redemption and the transition from darkness to light. I thought that it would be really interesting to use a car as a tool to move this character on a timeline, from darkness to the light and also through his feelings and sensations.”
With the video being shot in the middle of the cold winter in the south of France, Jack describes the experience of shooting the official video, “We shot the clip for Redemption in Basque Country, France late in January. I came to the area trying to get some relief and space to finish some music after being locked down in my tiny apartment in Paris and locked out of Australia for all of last year. While I was there I was lucky enough to meet a pair of creative directors (September00) from Biarrtiz, they pulled in Guillem Cruells (Director) and Marti Herrera (DOP) from Barcelona and we managed to work out a plan to shoot to film out in the middle of a harsh and deep winter in some of my favorite landscape. The whole piece was shot in a 50km radius across two days. It draws on the crux of the song – a journey from darkness to light.”
The album, ‘Turn To Something You Know’ was created with deep rooted inspiration combining with a new and refreshed context. classic songwriting rooted in the everyday that draws on life through the lens of growing up in small towns and outer suburbs, and his own experience of moving from the vast rural landscapes of Australia to the cultural metropolis of Paris, losing and ultimately rediscovering a sense of self. “Around the end of my first year in France I had a moment where I realized I had inadvertently ripped the rug out from under my identity,” he recalls. “I went about trying to rebuild it and I made this record while I did that.”
It’s on this album that Jack Grace manifests his experiences into a solely unique sound. The classically trained pianist cites a melting pot of influences, from American songwriting greats Dylan Springsteen and mavericks like David Byrne and Arthur Russell to early ‘00s post-rock and slow-core bands Low and The War on Drugs, via the electronic experimentalism of Massive Attack and Portishead and, more recently, Oneohtrix Point Never. Jack GraCe caught the ears of peers and tastemaker media alike with his 2016 debut EP River, championed by the likes of Flume, Nick Murphy and Kllo. 2018’s sophomore EP If I Tremble, an exploration of a disintegrating relationship that included stand-out tracks ‘BE4UGO,’ ‘row me home’ and ‘us’. The 7-track collection drew praise from press outlets including Pigeons and Planes, i-D, Clash and The Line of Best Fit plus radio support from BBC Radio 1, Beats 1, KCRW, triple j abd more.
It isn’t just through his own channels that we hear the brilliance of Jack Grace. As a producer, writer, arranger and collaborator he’s worked with artists including Ngaiire, Buoy, Eliott, Japanese Wallpaper, Oscar Key Sung and a whole heap more, assisting in building a catalogue of prolific Australian music.
Listen to ‘Redemption’ on all platforms here:
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