Art Angels // Grimes
Before Art Angels, Grimes’ music had always been more about vibe and sound design than the songwriting itself. Each track was more of a vehicle for some reverb covered texture she’d coaxed out of her synth. I’m underselling her early work a lot, it’s still worth a listen, but it pales in comparison to what came later. Her debut on 4AD and the album that dramatically raised her profile, Visions, saw some of her songwriting ability start to creep through, especially on singles ‘Oblivion’ and ‘Genesis’. But on Art Angels, the extent of her songwriting and producing skill is laid bare for the first time. Listen to the centrepiece of the album, ’Kill V. Maim’, the song she described to NME as the song she’s ‘always wanted to make’. It’s about if Al Pacino’s character in The Godfather was a vampire. The accompanying video is insane. Simultaneously a sassy ‘f*ck you’ to everyone who pigeonholed her as just another Tumblr-pandering one hit wonder and an optimistic, sugar-sweet summer banger, a Kopparberg in song form.
Words by Jack Hollis