Grace Ives Comes Back With New Songs

"In and out of the studio, I felt myself existing in a world bigger than my house in Brooklyn. I wrote in different libraries all over LA, trying to figure out what to say in these songs. Somehow, this time around, I felt safer out in the world than I did holed up in my nest. Like trying to be a good person while surrounded by new places and people was a more secure plan than trying to change all alone at home."

"Out in the open, in the wild, on the road, there was nowhere for me to hide. Nothing to steal. Nothing to chase. It's a proper antidote to self-inflicted isolation and sedation. This music feels more real to me than anything I've made before. I've played more instruments in the past year making this record than I've played in the majority of my life. I've let my heart and my hands work freely."

"I wanted to live in LA alone. I lived in LA alone. I wanted people to trust me. I tried to be open and treat people with more sincerity. I learned how to drive. I drove. The sky expanded around me and reminded me that I was not, in fact, the center of the universe. Just a small part of it. Thank god."

Moving to Los Angeles opened a larger world beyond a Brooklyn home. I wrote in libraries across LA and felt safer living openly among new places and people than isolated at home. Getting lost, driving with friends or alone, and stopping in motels felt less dangerous than previous patterns of falling, flailing, and sneaking. Being out in the open removed opportunities to hide or chase and served as an antidote to self-inflicted isolation. The record emerged from playing many more instruments, letting heart and hands work freely, and resulted in music that feels spacious, clear, confident, serious, and joyful.

Read at Pitchfork