Grace Ives is back 3 new songs. The rippling, contagious “Avalanche” comes with a music video, while “Dance with Me” and “My Mans” are more vague and subdued. Released via true panther records/capitol recordsthe track was written and produced alongside Ariel Rechtshaid. Listen below.
Ives wrote in a press release:
This music is a step outside the house. An ambitious attempt to capture my will to change. I have always waited for things to get better in my life without taking action and taking responsibility. I stayed in a job I hated for too long, ignored outside advice and stayed indoors and in bed for days on end, hurting my body and begging God to ease the pain instead of breaking my destructive cycle. In 2023, after the Janky Star tour, I hit real rock bottom and have been looking for a way out of the dark hole I’ve dug for myself ever since. I drank, lied, and hid. I fell down the stairs. I cried out that I was sick. I stole it. I was a terrible girlfriend and a bad daughter. I left my few friends behind. I cried and vomited over bile. gross. When I finally stopped drinking, I stopped lying. I stopped trying to control everything and let life take its course. I could see my life clearly. Yes, I was miserable — my boyfriend hated me (justifiably so), my friends and family were disappointed and hurt (well, sort of), and my coccyx was a mess — but I actually saw my life as it was, and it was a disaster! I gave up on myself, I gave up on my path, I gave up on music and I gave up on love. I snapped out of it and returned to my place in the world in slow motion.
What I write in this music follows the story of my “crash,” so to speak, a life of drinking, hiding, and hurt that ended in betrayal and a hefty hospital bill, and the subsequent will to change. It is the confidence of the storm and the clarity of the calm (doushi) in the aftermath. I have lived in the same place all my life. I have loved one person all my life. And while I think this is a beautiful thing, I had an honest desire to experience more that I never realized until I came to California to write.
In and out of the studio, I felt like I existed in a world bigger than my Brooklyn home. I wrote songs in different libraries around LA and tried to figure out what I wanted to say with these songs. For some reason, this time I felt safer in the outside world than holed up in my nest. Like trying to be a better person while surrounded by new places and people is a safer plan than trying to change alone at home. Whether I was driving with friends or alone, I felt safe even if I got lost. Stopping at random motels or taking wrong turns felt far less dangerous than the life of tumbling, flopping, and sneaking around I was accustomed to in New York. There was no place for me to hide, whether it was outdoors, in nature, or on the road. There’s nothing to steal. There’s nothing to chase. This is a suitable antidote to self-induced isolation and sedation.
This music feels more real to me than any music I’ve ever made. I played more instruments in the past year making this album than I have in most of my life. I let my mind and hands work freely. I wanted to live alone in LA. I lived alone in LA. I wanted people to trust me. I tried to be open and treat people more honestly. I learned how to drive. I drove. The sky expanded around me, reminding me that I wasn’t actually the center of the universe. Just a few. thank god.
This period of my life feels free. There are still debris on the ground from the turbulent years, but it hasn’t fallen that far. I think you can hear that in the music too. The songs I create feel spacious, clear and confident. I feel their darkness, but I also feel the energy that keeps them moving. The music is serious but full of joy at the same time. Lately, I’ve been talking more, saying yes to plans, falling in love with strangers, and trying to fix what’s broken. I have driven on the road and I am confident in my driving (although I may be wrong). I’m not alone, I’m alive and laughing and my heart feels really fast and it doesn’t scare me like it used to. I’m really here, and I try not to hide or bail.
Grace Ives’ last album. junkie starwas released in 2022. Check out our Artist Spotlight interview again with Grace Ives.
Source: Our Culture – ourculturemag.com
