Grace Calver is a well known and inspirational name on the independent music scene - she runs the Grace Note Blog, is totally on top of all the social media, and hosts a regular new music show on In Your Ears Music. And now, at 18 years old, she's taken the plunge with the first official release of her own.
'Zombie Conversations' is in some ways a classic grunge-tinged, melodic alt-rock song. But it's definitely not one that's stuck in any kind of genre-rut. The song explores up-to-date versions of well-known themes: where her 1990s equivalent may have sung of friends not returning their calls, or standing them up at the mall, Grace explores the modern-day curse of having your messages left on 'Read'.
As she explains in her press release: "The song was written out of frustration at the number of “dead” conversations I was having on social media during the lockdown/pandemic. It is about meeting people online and sitting and waiting for that notification to pop up on your phone that they’ve replied. Then the disappointment of realising that they really weren't the one and you've just wasted your time on someone you never really knew."
'Zombie Conversations' opens with a beguiling electronic drum beat - a subtle tinge of lo-fi - followed by a gentle vocal and clean guitar. But then, there's a sudden opening into a warmer, slicker sound as the song starts to build towards somewhere more exciting. As the tune pushes on, Grace's voice takes on a bit of an edge, revealing some of that suppressed emotion.
To me one of the winning points of the song is found in its balance. Grace has shown a real sense of judgement here, achieving a great equilibrium in a number of elements, and producing something which - although professionally produced - stands true to the bedroom-rock legacy. There are hints of lament and tinges of angst, but the song doesn't descend to melancholy. It's effervescent and slightly sugary, without the addition of saccharine-sweetness. Her delivery is laid-back, giving the song some lovely hints of the slacker pop/rock genre, but she doesn't go too far so that it strays into laziness.
The overall effect is something which draws you in and makes complete sense to the ear. I think the relatively simple structure is a part of that; this sort of apparently straightforward approach can be deceptively difficult to get right. It needs a solid base to build on - a well-thought out premise and lyrics, and a confident melodic overlay; and that's what Grace has provided here.
Grace is someone who spends a lot of her time listening to all kinds of music, and with this first release you can tell she's been listening actively, soaking it all up, learning, and turning that wealth of input into something which is completely her own. Grace has revealed a really interesting side to her abilities, and one which shows huge promise. I can't wait to see what comes next.