Bacchanalia Magazine

by Haz Pirie

London based musician Ella Grace released her new EP Grace on the 2nd of February, it is a beautiful accumulation of heartfelt emotion and questioning – all feelings perfectly encapsulated by the cover of the EP, which displays a deep blue eye perfectly portraying the self introspective lyricism present throughout the album , the inky blue colouring representing the sea of emotions the EP invokes throughout the minds of listeners – in the case of Ella Grace’s new EP the eyes are indeed a direct window into her beautiful musical soul.

The album kicks off with ‘doors’ , beginning with the lyric ‘ if you opened up my door with a face I’d seen before I would get down on my knees and pray’. Ella’s melancholic vocals wonderfully portray the emotion within the very first line and this religious imagery is seen throughout the album , helping to portray the desperation and raw emotion Ella sings of. The song closes with ‘I never knew these parts of me were free’ this hopeful tone preluded by the acoustic interval presents listers with what is essentially the rest of the album – a relatable feeling of melancholic wondering followed by an almost desperate hope for redemption and love.

Following on from doors is the second track on the album ‘The Edge’, this song intrigued me from the start as it held a spookier almost dark wave inspiration throughout, portrayed through deep bass chords and lyrics such as ‘don’t hate the killer in me my love’. As the drums pick up and the instruments kick in more heavily the track evokes a tidal wave of emotion, the beautiful instrumentals allowing the emotive lyrics to fully sink in. The track also comes across incredibly personal ‘we’re all scared as hell’ Ella’s wonderful song writing is relatable and allows listeners to feel as if they are processing emotions with a friend rather listening to a song , an incredible skill that definitely makes Ella’s lyricism stand out ! The acoustic guitar at the end of the track is accompanied by the slowing of the drums, and helps to emphasise the melancholic gothic themes of the song.

‘War of Alchemy’ is the third track and is what made this EP really stand out to me. This track was reminiscent of spoken word poetry to me and also included similar gothic lyrical themes to the second track ‘The Edge’. The beautiful electric guitar is played behind powerful lyrics , addressing the ‘faceless enemy’ and imploring listeners to ‘ remember your humanity’. The slow building throughout the track comes to a crescendo with an instrumental interlude followed by a discordious effect in the middle of the song preluding a powerful electric guitar solo. The classic rock influences upon modern music are clear throughout the track and help to invoke the powerful emotions experience when listening to the whole EP. The religious imagery seen in the first track is mirrored in ‘War of Alchemy’ , Ella describes the ‘heavens bursting at the seams’ allowing all listeners to create imagery relatable to their own personal battles , this religious motif throughout the EP not only helps to intertwine each song into a beautiful collective mosaic of emotion but also portray the desperate questioning feeling that is portrayed throughout the individual songs almost likening these personal battles to a spiritual struggle. The song comes to a close with more electric guitar and an almost echoing effect upon the instruments , the symbolism of such production choice is incredibly impactful as it leaves the song to both metaphorically and literally ricochet throughout the listeners mind.

Penultimate track ‘Burn’ is a tale of both romantic challenge and the personal struggle of knowing you are holding back your own potential , both emotions largely felt my many of Ella’s listeners. The lyric ‘ hold me back but let me burn’ is multiplyrealisable , managing to portray the pain of a tense relationship , yearning to be held whilst also wishing to allow yourself to let said relationship ‘burn’. This lyric was incredibly potent to me as I felt it also portrayed the struggles of facing your own potential, having to hold yourself back whilst also wishing to burn yourself, in a metaphorical sense aiming for such greatness you end up burning out or burning through others to achieve your goals. ‘Burn’ also shows of Ella’s vocal talents, the smooth harmonies inspire imagery of a summers evening allowing listeners to feel relaxed and truly appreciate the vocals on the track. This hauntingly beautiful lyricism is layered over melodic guitars that help to attribute a more indie pop style to the song compared to the other tracks on the EP, however as the penultimate track, I find this stylistic choice helps the EP to progress almost like a novel, setting up for the final titular track of the EP.

‘Grace’ is the closing song of the EP, there is minimal production as the song begins , presenting an almost folky acoustic feeling to the song. ‘Grace’ is very raw and emotional and once again is a vibrant display of Ella Grace’s lyrical talents . As the final song on the EP ‘Grace’ seems to add a sense of closure with lyrics such as ‘I’m not trying to fix you’, seemingly creating an air of finality and acceptance. Whilst the final track is quite short the slowly building ambience in the background perfectly encapsulates all that is presented throughout the EP and brings it to a wonderful close.

Overall the self titled EP is a stunning accumulation of the human experience of love, doubt and questioning, all cohesively presented through raw lyrical talent and ambient instrumentals. ‘Grace’ is a must listen for both cold February days and rose tinted summer evenings, check it out and see how you feel!