Premiere: Grace Joyner – “Fake Girlfriend”
Grace Joyner has just announced the release of her sophomore LP, Settle In. The album will see release on April 24th, and is the first new album from the Charleston dream pop artist since her full-length debut, Maybe Sometimes – In C was released back in 2016. The album’s first single is called “Fake Girlfriend” and it drops everywhere tomorrow, but you can listen early today on Extra Chill.
In the four years since the release of Maybe Sometimes – in C, Grace has gotten involved with a few other projects, including touring with Valley Maker and recording and performing with 2 Slices. Meanwhile, she was writing and recording material for Settle In, and at some point between all that made the move back to Charleston from Asheville, NC. Now, as the release of Settle In approaches, Grace has shifted her focus back to her personal project, with a new album that has been a long time coming.
“I have a really natural approach to my work so I never want to push something that just isn’t quite there yet,” Grace explains. “It’s really important that I don’t feel rushed and can be confident in what I am putting out.”
The mindset that Grace has about taking her time with the creative process is something that I think pays off with this new album. Settle In is all about the vibes, production-wise, and that comes across in a really consistent way throughout. Grace’s voice itself is so suited to this type of dreamy energy, and the production does a great job of mirroring and showcasing that.
Grace says that this vibe was something that developed over time and through working with producer Wolfgang Zimmerman. She explains how she named the record Settle In to reflect the way that she wants people to feel when they listen to it.
“I want there to be an ease, but also moments of surprise here and there,” Grace continues. “As I said, I don’t rush myself, so until I feel like things are falling into place I won’t move on. I just had to be patient for that to happen with this body of work. I didn’t think about my second record with a specific intention or plan of action. My songwriting process is a reflection of different stages and issues I am going through in life so I had to let it fall together naturally.”
The single that’s premiering today, “Fake Girlfriend” is our first look at the vibe that Grace Joyner & company been crafting over at Rialto Row (and some of it even in The Space) over the past few years. It’s one of the more upbeat tracks in the Grace Joyner catalog, and features a funky bassline played by Contour’s Khari Lucas. Grace says that the lyrics reflect on a certain type of relationship that she has experienced.
“I wrote Fake Girlfriend as a reflection of a type of relationship I think a lot of our generation deals with at some point or the other,” Grace says. “A lot of us are looking for that perfect match, so it can cause a reluctancy to commit to one person, because then in turn you are letting go of some of the other options that might be lingering out there in universe. But when you care for someone you also don’t want to let them go cause what if they are the one! – so you don’t commit, but you don’t let go. It can cause these relationships that never fully begin, but because of that they never really end either.”
Listen to “Fake Girlfriend” by Grace Joyner below.