Grace Ives

Grace Ives makes music that feels like a series of brilliant, unfinished thoughts captured in the middle of the night. It is pop music stripped down to its skeletal remains: a cheap drum machine, a few bright synth chords, and a voice that oscillates between deadpan cool and vulnerable yearning. The songs are famously brief, often clocking in under two minutes, which gives them a sense of urgency and restlessness that mirrors the anxiety of modern life.

What truly distinguishes her sound is the 'janky' quality she embraces. There is a charming, brittle texture to her production that feels handmade and immediate. She uses silence and space as instruments, allowing her staccato vocal melodies to pop against the minimalist electronic backdrops. It is the sound of someone making hits in their bedroom using only what was within arm's reach, resulting in something far more intimate and interesting than polished studio pop.

Start with her 2022 album Janky Star. It represents the perfect bridge between her lo-fi origins and a more refined, yet still wonderfully idiosyncratic, pop sensibility. Tracks like 'Lullaby' and 'Loose' showcase her ability to turn simple loops into deeply infectious, emotionally resonant earworms that stay with you long after their short runtimes end.