Grace Gardner releases debut EP ‘Peach’
“I get this twisted and sickening feeling I’m gonna marry you,” Grace Gardner confesses in the first line of “Deny Me”. Her dainty vocals float effortlessly, walking the precious line between holding on to somebody and begging them to let her down. Acoustic guitar and humming harmonies build gradually as the track continues; their soft melody mirrors the uncertainty in her lyrics. As she approaches the bridge, the tension built is released spectacularly. The tone of her voice and heavenly string accompaniments all swiftly spring up for a short moment, gathering heartfelt memories of a girl who made her feel wanted and yet, on the other hand, gave her something to lose.
These acknowledgements of duality in love and being broken down by your own hopes perfectly set the stage for the rest of the Austin-based singer songwriter’s debut EP. It is appropriately titled “Peach” and much like the fruit its sweetness comes from inside, falls all over you the more you dig in, and lingers when you’re done. In track number two, it even slips into the cracks where, as she told The Luna Collective, “a final moment of anger” lives.
The range of Gardner’s artistry immediately comes to play within “Parcel” where her musical temper has become impatient, taking almost no time to predict “You’re gonna call me on it one of these days/ Why I don’t respond when you mention her name”. Muffled production and guitar hovers over the first 20 seconds, giving us the feeling that this is something she has been holding back.
It’s all in the spotlight now, suggesting “That’s not you/ You wanted someone with a little more life than that”. Guitar sweeps up each word again, shakes up their confidence, and gives them new meaning at the conclusion: “Maybe it’s you” she whispers as the idea fades into the next song.
Gardner’s vocals, which have been lovingly compared to the likes of Phoebe Bridgers and Lizzy McAlpine, are center stage for the latter half of the project. The two new tracks carry similar dreamlike melodies, yet are each engulfed in different stages of nostalgia. She admits to doing mental “Acrobatics'', contorting herself for another chance with someone who feels right, but ultimately doesn’t deserve her.
In the final track, Gardner becomes a “Designated Driver” down memory lane, playing back old emotions and losing herself in their echo despite a desire to start tying up the loose-ends she introduced in “Deny Me”. “I’m letting go of holding on”, she hesitantly states in the conclusion, but another glimpse of what she had has her unsure if she’ll ever be rid of it.
This might only be her first EP, but it has already helped paint an idea of what fans can expect from Gardner musically. The way she analyzes life’s changes in “Peach” brings her to some pretty devastating conclusions, some of which have been dressed up into dramatic bridges and sudden changes in emotional atmosphere. The others remain in their sweet blissful ignorance, becoming sticky where they’ve landed like juice from a fruit.