Words: Jack Thomson
Claire Boucher, aka Grimes, is a Canadian musician and visual artist from Montreal, who, on a first listen, may come across as following in the ethereal, doom-laden footsteps of Fever Ray and Zola Jesus. However, on closer inspection, there is something much more substantial to Grimes.
Using a combination of incredibly luscious yet spacious vocals, hypnotic beats, and a general atmosphere of disorder and disarray, Boucher pulls us into her uniquely constructed world and fills our heads with hauntingly beautiful sounds and spine-tingling melodies.
Her album, 'Halfaxa', actually came out last year to a fair amount of online praise. Personal favorites include the strangely catchy 'Sagrad Прекрасный' and the eerie 'Dragvandil', but the album as a whole is full of outer-limits pop songs that need to be heard to be believed.
It was her appearances at this year's SXSW festival that caught wider attention. Capitalising on that hype, Grimes has teamed up with fellow Montreal musician d'Eon for a split 12" EP entitled 'Darkbloom', released last week on Arbutus Records. Check out the stylish new video for one of the EP tracks ('Vanessa') above, directed by and starring Grimes.
The new release will no doubt put Grimes in a much more accessible light and hopefully give her even more momentum among the serious critics. With a tour kicking off in May supporting Lykke Li in the US, expect big things in the very near future from this Canadian experimental songstress.
STREAM: Grimes - Vanessa by Arbutus Records
UK readers can purchase the 'Darkbloom' EP from Boomkat. Stay upto date with Grimes via Facebook.
We're a collaborative British music, film and TV blog. "Trying to find the perfect match between pretentious and pop."
