Wavey by Grand Pax album review by James Olson. The British Singer/songwriter's EP comes out on November 20th via Blue Flowers

7.5

Wavey

Grand Pax

After a handful of buzz worthy singles and two EPs, London based singer songwriter Grand Pax gives listeners another teaser for what could be a promising long form debut project.

Drawing comparisons to King Krule, Arlo Parks, and Blue Flowers label mate Puma Blue, Grand Pax makes up a loose collection of young English solo acts who specialize in a fresh style of melancholic, downtempo indie pop. On her latest EP Wavey, she explores textures, shadows, and complicated emotions on three intimate new cuts.

Starting with the synth driven title track, Grand Pax’s vocals are manipulated in intriguing ways, serving as an intro melody, a counter melody throughout the track, along with breathy accents at key points. These layers of vocal effects combined with fluid bass and fluttering synths make for a sumptuous listening experience best described as a love song submerged underwater.

“ATV” opts for a more dreamy vibe with its punchy trap beat and spectral guitar lick. This track also includes the strongest and most memorable chorus on the EP with Grand Pax meditating on the nature of recurring fantasies and dreams.

The closing number “Trip” notably features production from Josh Crocker (Gotts Street Park) who takes a more lo fi approach to the instrumentation as opposed to the polished preceding tracks. With its hushed vocals, palm muted guitar, and minimalist beat, “Trip” conjures images of a nocturnal drive through a sprawling city. Grand Pax sings “”Place your hands on the wheel/We’ll spill into the night time baby” which adds a sense of finality to the track’s placement on the EP.

At a scant eight and a half minutes, the Wavey EP only affords the listener a modest impression of Grand Pax’s talents and her overall potential. That being said, the three songs do showcase enough variety to make the notion of a LP from Grand Pax to be a tantalizing prospect.

Advertisement

Looking for something new to listen to?

Sign up to our all-new newsletter for top-notch reviews, news, videos and playlists.