Grace Mitchell straddles boundaries of sonics and style across time and space without invoking the vapidness that inevitably comes from rehashing a foregone era’s artistic approach; she has the aesthetic of a Woodstock-era rock star alongside a grungy musical ethos, yet I don’t sense pastiche in her that I feel in so many others. That’s likely owed to her ability to filter various modes through the lens of off-kilter pop music that always manages to find itself at an infectious conclusion, one that I can’t imagine another artist in 2017 reaching with such precision.
“Now” is an illustration of her natural versatility as she transitions from quirky pop-rock to an arena-rock cadence before suddenly shifting gears into utterly anthemic pop vocals that send chills down my spine with every listen. Combined with a music video that alternates between Brady Bunch vibes and modern pop sensualité, I’m fascinated by the timelessness she conveys. I’m not usually one to make brash declarations, but her delving into the past just might be a vision for the future.
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