Back with a follow up to April’s Slow Down, Toronto musician GRAE has just released her second EP, Permanent Maniac, together with the title track and its accompanying video.
Where Slow Down was a dramatic, electronic piece of pop music, Permanent Maniac fizzes with a nervous energy, a glittering indie sound perfectly complimenting GRAE’s wistful vocals.
On first listen, Permanent Maniac could be mistaken for a conventional love song, but GRAE confesses it is really about her love of the Cure’s Robert Smith, whose music has clearly influenced her sound here:
”Permanent Manic is a love letter to Robert Smith from The Cure. I’ve had a real obsession with him since I was a teenager and even went through a phase where I did my makeup like him and dressed like him. The Cure’s music hits me in a way like nothing else has, and I’m so inspired by Robert, his sound, his writing. This song is about how I love him, and he’ll never know. Permanent Maniac is definitely the vibe I’ve been trying so hard to create for a long time. So, thank you once again, Robert Smith (if you’re reading this, I love you)."
The video features GRAE wigging out in her room, surrounded with references to the Cure as she draws pictures of Smith, writes words and music about him and ultimately makes music that expresses his influence on her. It all culminates in GRAE’s fabulous, steely guitar solo as her adulation triggers her musical creativity.
The video, created by co-directors Iris Kim and Priya Howlader, is a wonderful intro to GRAE’s sound and energy. I also love the credits to the video, which boast another brief blast of post-punk noise that recalls both The Cure and The Jesus And Mary Chain.