Halfaxa

Supremely catchy and insanely haunting, the work of 23 year old self trained singer /musician Claire Boucher is one of life’s great mysteries. It’s been a good time for music in the last year or so, we’ve been loving the new psychedelic sound sometimes called Hypnagogic pop at other times Chill Wave, Glo fi…..zzzzzz. For us no other act captured the fractal flow better than Canadian singer Claire Boucher aka Grimes. Amid the deluge of fine mind floss from the likes of Neon Indian, Hype Williams and Laurel Halo, Grimes got a little lost, which is a shame if not a crime as her sound is one of the most unique and delightful of all. Grimes audio universe where Kate Bush jams with Fleetwood Mac in a floatation tank while the spirit of Arthur Russell hovers overhead is simply stunning. One of the most distinctive sound worlds we’ve had the pleasure to inhabit for ooh…aeons. That’s not to suggest that the Grimes sound is all sweetness and light, there’ s sometimes a dark undertow that reminds us of Salem, the same darkness that Julie Cruise tapped into so beautifully for Twin Peaks and like fellow warped pop mavericks Autre Ne Veut there’s a touch of Prince flirting with the Cocteau Twins or The Smiths covered by My Bloodym Valentine. But enough of this talk of other artists, the great thing about Grimes is that despite the influence of myriad styles including R& B, Industrial, Goth, Hip Hop and shoegaze they create a unique sound world you can lose yourself in for days, weeks….a lifetime. The original version of ‘ Halfaxa’ was released on Canadian label Arbutus, the new version on Lo Recordings comes with brand new artwork and the previously unreleased track ‘ Heartbeats’ . “ … ethereal, eerily moving outerspace transmissions from Montreal’s amazing “cosmic-pop deity” Grimes, who’s firmly established herself as one of our favorite new artists…” - Gorilla VS Bear “Grimes weaves melody and oddity to produce an eerie and sometimes medieval sound that magically overcome