The fifth studio album from Canadian singer Grimes, titled “Miss Anthropocene,” was released on Valentine’s Day to positive reception from critics.
Containing influences from electronic rock and nu metal, the album has a darker tone than Grimes’ previous album, “Art Angels,” the album tells the story of a goddess of climate change.
Each song, according to Grimes, represents human extinction in different forms. The release of “Miss Anthropocene” was preceded by five singles: “Violence,” “So Heavy I Fell Through The Earth,” “My Name Is Dark,” “4 AM” and “Delete Forever.”
Overall, this album is an intriguing mix of ideas tied together with a modern, electronic rock theme, and that overarching style fits well with the narrative that Grimes is trying to convey to her listeners. Nothing here feels heavy-handed, which is appreciated.
Highlights
“My Name Is Dark”
With a heavy guitar riff and Grimes’ high-pitched techno-songbird vocals, this track is probably my favorite on the album.
“So Heavy I Fell Through The Earth”
A strong opener to this album, this track showcases Grimes’ ability to pull off great vocals with a pulsing beat behind her and a strong concept in tow.
“4AM”
Background
Canadian musician Claire Elise Boucher, known professionally as Grimes, grew up in Vancouver and started her music career by releasing songs independently. Her first two albums, “Geidi Primes” and “Halfaxa,” were released in 2010 to positive reviews. After this reception, Grimes signed with 4AD records and released the album “Visions” in 2012, which spawned two singles: “Genesis” and “Oblivion.” Three years later, she released “Art Angels,” an album named best of the year by several music outlets.
This album’s title, “Miss Anthropocene,” was announced on March 19, 2019. The reason for this album’s concept, a personified goddess of climate change, was clarified by Grimes in an interview with the Wall Street Journal. “People don’t care about it [climate change], because we’re being guilted,” according to Grimes. She further explained that she wished “to make climate change fun” and “make a reason to look at it”.
Overall, this album bends genres and not only gives us a reason to look at climate change but also at Grimes as a strong artist in the art pop genre. I highly recommend it.
