We Speak Music
Grace Sorensen Shares New Single “PRETTY BOY”
19-year-old R&B artist Grace Sorensen has returned with her brand-new single, “PRETTY BOY”. Hailing from Austin, Texas, Grace only made her arrival on the music scene in 2020 but it’s been an upward trajectory ever since with a string of high-quality R&B releases that have made it clear that she is a star with a huge future ahead. “PRETTY BOY” is another stellar entry into her growing discography and arrives alongside equally impressive visuals directed by Daniel Castillo.
An incredibly strong offering with enormous replay value, “PRETTY BOY” stands out immediately after the first listen with its soothing downtempo production by BLK ODYSSY and Grace’s silky smooth vocals, infectious melodies and striking lyricism. Speaking further on the release, Grace says, “‘PRETTY BOY’ was written out of disappointment of my taste in men and giving too many chances to the same type of boys and expecting different treatment.”
The track is lifted from the rising artist’s debut EP, WHAT I NEVER TOLD YOU, which is out now. “From relationships I’ve tried, the hardest lesson has been learning to be confrontational”, says Grace. “I would often spare my own desire for justice to maintain peace, and that regret turned into the fuel for my project. Each song was written from a reminiscent point of view – analysing the reality of who I experienced and understanding that my anger/disappointment was valid. Since I realised this validity too late to fight for myself, I intended for these songs to be heard by specific people as poetic justice – and in my own way, tell them what I never told them.”
Going from strength to strength with each release, it’s clear Grace Sorensen is one to watch, and “PRETTY BOY” will no doubt continue her growing momentum. With such a refined sound so early on in her career and talent beyond her young years, expect to see and hear much more from Grace over the next year. “PRETTY BOY” and the rest of WHAT I NEVER TOLD YOU are out now on all platforms: https://gracesorensen.lnk.to/prettyboy.
Keep up to date with the latest from Grace Sorensen:
We Speak Music
Phoebe June Traces Love, Distance and Heartbreak on New EP ‘Kiss Me Over The Garden Gate’
For Phoebe June, some stories are easier to tell through music.
Her new EP, ‘Kiss Me Over The Garden Gate’, is an intimate collection that traces the emotional journey of a relationship from the exhilaration of falling in love to distance, uncertainty, heartbreak and, ultimately, learning to let go.
Inspired by artists including Gracie Abrams, Taylor Swift and Phoebe Bridgers, Phoebe June combines diary-like lyricism with melancholic ballads, subtle uptempo moments and an understated, emotionally honest production style.
At the centre of the project is ‘Thursday’, a bittersweet track about loving someone from a distance and holding onto the hope that the connection might survive.
Written after Phoebe left a country that held deep personal meaning, and left someone she cared about behind, the song looks back at the relationship from its beginning. Even its title is personal: the two first met on a Thursday.
The song captures the complicated feeling of walking away from something meaningful without believing that it necessarily has to be over. It’s about distance, memory and the possibility of finding your way back to someone, while recognising that hope only works when it goes both ways.
Across six tracks, the EP develops that story in sequence.
‘Everything You Are’ opens the project with the warmth of new love, while ‘Dead Sea’ explores the security of finding someone who helps you stay afloat through difficult times. As the story progresses, ‘Thursday’ introduces separation before ‘Getaway Car’ moves into the aftermath; unanswered questions, lingering attachment and the realisation that someone can profoundly affect your life while still being unhealthy for you.
‘One Day’ leaves the door open to the possibility of a future reunion, balancing hope with the understanding that some relationships may only exist in memory.
The EP closes with ‘Ophelia’, its emotional breaking point. Inspired in part by Friedrich Heyser’s painting of the same name, the track confronts the pain of feeling manipulated and unappreciated after giving everything to someone else.
The result is a project that deliberately moves from light to dark. Phoebe June considered not only the narrative but the emotional progression when sequencing the EP, allowing the brightness of its opening to gradually give way to the heartbreak of its closing moments.
Even the title reflects that feeling.
‘Kiss Me Over The Garden Gate’ takes its name from a flower, with the image of a gate separating two people becoming a metaphor for a love that remains beautiful but just out of reach. To reach over it requires effort, just as maintaining a connection across distance, uncertainty and changing circumstances does.
Ultimately, Phoebe June isn’t interested in simply documenting her own heartbreak.
She wants listeners to recognise themselves in it.
‘Kiss Me Over The Garden Gate’ is a collection about love, nostalgia, hope and regret and about what remains when something beautiful ends up on the other side of the gate.
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