Brisbane-born singer-songwriter and rapper Grace Shaw is not afraid to dream big. "Anything is possible if you just say that you're going to do it. That's honestly such a lifehack," she said recently in an interview with Fader. Shaw, who performs as Mallrat, went on to mention that she hopes to one day write songs for artists like Rihanna, Beyoncé and Camila Cabello. Her aspirations may sound rather ambitious, especially for a relatively new talent. But looking at the 21-year-old's resume, which includes two solid EP releases, a tour with fellow Aussie rapper Allday and opening for Post Malone, you can't help but wonder that she might be on to something.
Her third EP, Driving Music, should bring her closer to realising her dream. The follow-up to 2016's Uninvited and last year's In The Sky, this six-track EP continues to tell tales of suburban monotony and unrequited teen romance with the pop sleek of Lorde's early material. Setting the tone is Intro, an interlude-like opening track imbued with twinkly piano chords, sustained drones and loverlorn lyrics ("Wanna hold your hand/ But I just hold my tongue/ Oh, I understand/ You're already in love, yeah/ Hit me up, it's innocent/ I pick the songs, it's innocent/ You drop me off, it's innocent").
Drive Me Around maintains the momentum with pensive synths before skittering beats eventually take over, turning it into a danceable joyride anthem. Circles, a collaboration with Australian hip-hop maverick Fossa Beats, again recalls the effortless coolness of Lorde. "Way up in the clouds/ You and I are hiding from the crowds/ They don't understand/ Think I'm clever and they're marvelling… I'm in your circus, running 'round in circles," she half-sings, half-speaks, driving home the mindless repetition of a suburban life.
Elsewhere, there's a cheeky portrait of a teenage girl inspired by the artist's own sister (When I Get My Braces Off) which recalls Lily Allen. The EP's standout Charlie, on the other hand, goes beyond the surface of suburban life and explores deeper issues like love and family dynamics.
Quotable lyrics: "My dad, he worked out west/ And he worked so hard/ My mum she smells like cigarettes/ And they broke each other's hearts/ She says that love is like a chess game/ And boys gotta do the chasing/ But when did I start taking her advice?/ I raised myself and that's alright" (Charlie).
The verdict: A collection of infectious, oblique love songs that slyly double as a social commentary? Pop music doesn't get better than this.
Listen to this: Drive Me Around, Circles, Stay, Charlie.
THE PLAYLIST
Dimming Air / First Sat On The Beach
"Dimming Air is not music from an individual, but rather a kind of atmosphere that will have an impact on anybody, anywhere, anytime," reads the bio of Dimming Air, a solo project from Fwends' former guitarist Yuki Suwansopa. Despite this statement on self-detachment, Yuki's music is profoundly personal. His debut single Good Morning captured that intimate moment of just waking up, with sleepily mumbled words and a sonic hybrid of acoustic and ambient laced with echoes of jazz and tropicalia. Sounding even more lived-in, its follow-up First Sat On The Beach interweaves gently-strummed guitar with ambient field recordings of wind, rain and clamouring crowds before fizzling out like a dream that never happened.
Foals / Into The Surf
Before Everything Not Saved Will Be Lost – Part 2 drops in five days' time, UK outfit Foals give us a little taster in the form of Into The Surf. The song, which follows previous releases Black Bull and The Runner, sees vocalist Yannis Philippakis taking a break from all of that raging energy and giving us a classic Foals ballad for a change. "I'll eat up all your pain/ Take in all the blame/ Be that someone to complain to/ I'll be like water, when you rise/ Plant a jasmine in the night," he sings over reverb-drenched production, plus the xylophone that we were first introduced to on Part 1.
Chromatics / You're No Good
Your favourite glam-noir synth-pop group are back with Closer To Grey, their first LP in seven years since their contribution to the Drive soundtrack and 2012's Kill For Love. Lead cut You're No Good tells an age-old story of a toxic relationship in that dimly-lit hot-pink neon setting Chromatics excel at. Like their best songs, the homage to the 80s can still be detected but it never feels too on the nose. Meanwhile, guitarist/vocalist Ruth Radelet does that great thing she does where the smallest gestures have the most profound impact -- like chanting the word "you" to the point where it takes on an otherworldly quality.
Last Dinosaurs / FMU
Australian trio Last Dinosaurs are experts when it comes to crafting jangly indie gems suffused with just enough melancholia for a Sunday comedown. After last year's Yumeno Garden, the Brisbane boys are back with new single FMU. Set to bright, slightly 80s adjacent backdrop, the song is about "a hypothetical conversation between Hong Kong and China about their relationship" according to lead guitarist/vocalist Sean Caskey. "You ever feel your soul unwind?/ Just let the rhythm take over your mind/ This kind of system don't treat you kind/ They play with people like they're rolling dice," he sings from the perspective of brave Hong Kong protesters, essentially telling China to chill a little.
Carly Rae Jepson / Don't Speak
We were ready to hate Carly Rae Jepson's cover of No Doubt's 1996 single Don't Speak before we even heard it. No offence to the singer, but everyone knows that decent covers of this 90s classic are hard to come by. Recorded as part of Spotify's Single series alongside a new version of her Dedicatedsingle Want You In My Room, this particular cover might be the first that comes reasonably close to the original. Ms Rae Jepson may be known for bubblegum pop hits like Call Me Maybe and I Really Like You, but she manages to sing with depth and sweet anguish here with ease.
