Grace Mitchell - Raceday

Grace Mitchell
Raceday
2015

Grace Mitchell may embody the term "Swagger" better than any rapper out there today. Her music is super slick a la Banks or Lorde but comes off with an almost effortless style. At first look you would think her style would be closer to Lana Del Rey or some other songstress, but she is not even close to that level. She combines a hip hop sensibility and style with an indie rock sound that has been done before but never with the precision that Mitchell brings. "Jitter" is a totally unexpected twitchy dance track that comes out of no where with a chorus straight out of the electropop handbook. The surprise of this album is probably it's biggest asset. Each track on the EP is wholly it's own and the only thing bonding them together is Grace's undeniable coolness. "Breaking Hearts" which you would think is the same old story of a girl out and about meeting boys and leaving them behind, is instead a celebration of everything it is to be young and out there living.

Raceday with it's use of hip hop elements is different from the usual 21 Pilots style of Indie Rap. Instead of it being a novelty Mitchell simply blends it into her music without making a big fuss about it. The one track where this breaks down is "Bae", in it we hear Spri Noir rap french lyrics over the track with Mitchell singing backup. The rapping though in French is perfectly fine but it does not have that same swagger that the rest of the album has, perhaps because Mitchell is not center stage. The title track "Raceday" has one of the better back beats on the album and it is the one that you will continue to go back to. Grace Mitchell will be going on tour with St. Lucia early next year and a full record is certainly in the works. Be on the lookout for Grace Mitchell, big things are coming.

7.9 out of 10