Grimes is back with her first new release of 2019. The Canadian singer-songwriter (real name Claire Boucher) has shared a new single called “Pretty Dark.” True to its title, it’s a pretty, affectionate song with dark lyrics — she wishes her lover were “Impaled / And injured with love the way I am.” It’s more straightforward and less chaotic than most of Grimes’ past work, but “Pretty Dark” showcases her versatility as an artist.
In the description for the video, Grimes clarifies that “Pretty Dark” is “not a single,” and in fact comes from an “AR musical” she is working on. She is working on a project developing sub-members of Grimes, each with their own personalities and musical styles. She compares the project to Gorillaz, the Korean girl group Loona, or her own version of a “psychedelic post k pop-ish fake band for my non-Grimes musical ventures.” She also says that the “look” of this character, whom she calls Dark, is also just a demo. And she apparently wrote and recorded the song in less than two hours, which is wild, and makes me want to reevaluate my productivity.
Grimes’ last full-length release was 2015’s Art Angels, though she released a standalone single “We Appreciate Power” last year, and recently featured on songs with Bring Me The Horizon and Poppy. Listen to “Pretty Dark” above.
