Canadian art pop goddess Claire Boucher, known by her stage name Grimes, is back on the scene with more attention than ever. This is in part because of the media’s attack towards her during the recording process. I usually do not keep up with celebrity drama and blatantly overblown news stretched out for the sole purpose to stir up trouble. What I do know about the whole fiasco is she was painted as a villain once she began dating one of the world’s most revolutionary inventors, Elon Musk. Grimes seems to have handled the situation with class and pointing out how we are living in a post-truth world where whatever piece of information that comes out first, whether truth or falsification, is deemed as the definitive fact. With her newest album, she stated that these events influenced her to take the role of a villain.

Miss Anthropocene sees Grimes taking the form of what she described as an “anthropomorphic goddess of climate change”. I couldn’t explain it any better. Conveyed through this persona is a collection of ten art pop songs that veer into other genres; each with its own depiction of the worst of humanity in a loose concept. Every track does a great job at alluding to each situation’s potential cause for the downfall of humanity. Starting off the album are tracks that are as great as they are eclectic. “So Heavy I Fell Through the Earth (Art Mix)” kicks off Miss Anthropocene with influences from ethereal wave and dreamier pop aesthetics creating a calm, surreal feeling of losing hope and accepting the fall. These dreamy atmospheres help elevate the minimal lyrics to a more abstract state. Shifting into the darker side of the album is “Darkseid” featuring 潘PAN with its explosive bass that at times feels like a nu-metal track. This is especially apparent when 潘PAN comes in with her rapid rapping and her moody vocal style juxtaposed with Grimes’s gothic mystery for a chorus that conveys the inner troubles people face that can cause irrational decisions.

Pushing back from the darker tone for more of a melancholic gut-punch is “Delete Forever”. Although the song has light acoustic strings including a banjo, the lyrics are still harsh with Grimes reminiscing over her friends who were taken too early by heroin. “Violence – Original Mix” once again shifts to another genre, this time a bouncy synth-pop track that personifies the Earth’s climate as being in an abusive relationship with humans. A bold message communicated through a complex metaphor with absolute grace. Next comes “4ÆM” which is a frantic slice of electro-pop. The usage of futuristic synths is infectious and fun. I love the first half of Miss Anthropocene for it’s eclectic collection of styles. This is what has drawn me to many of my personal favorite tracks by Grimes.

The back half of Miss Anthropocene seems to trail off in quality when put next to the prior half. Take “New Gods” which features Grimes’s expected beautiful vocals that deviate to her slightly jarring lower range in the first verse and are overwhelmed at times by the production and layering of the pianos that lose flavor. Quite a shame when the lyrics are phenomenal making an exclamation for new gods because the more ancient gods have continued to fail. “You’ll miss me when I’m not around” is also awkward because of its simplicity. It doesn’t fit Grimes and feels undersold. Unlike “Delete Forever” this simplicity doesn’t give weight to the lyrics. Instead it is pretty bland and even cliché with those sharp and unpleasant high-pitched vocals in the mix. Both “Before the fever” and “IDORU” feel one-dimensional in their contrasting spaciness between brooding darkness and shimmering streams respectively. Sure the bassline and electric guitar on “Before the fever” add a solid tone to match Grimes’s lower register crooning about death and “IDORU” has some tranquil animal sounds to start the track, but both feel like they are missing a certain weight to them. At least the back half has one major highlight, “My Name is Dark – Art Mix”. Between the heavier ballad tone, the cynical lyricism that tackles self-destructing behaviors, and Grimes screaming like an echoing banshee, the song is able to hold a mysterious and dream-like darkness without them clashing.

The world is a pretty fucked up place, and the news doesn’t help our view towards this issue. Drug abuse, death, destruction of the Earth; all conveyed in Grimes’s darkest album to date with her artful abilities. You can’t do anything but commend her for transforming the hate she received in the media into a source of inspiration for a new path. The consistency issues on the album do bring it down, but there is still a great amount to appreciate in the art and craftsmanship. This isn’t her best album; I still love Art Angels more; but this is one that will shock old and new fans alike.

Favorite Tracks: “So Heavy I Fell Through the Earth – Art Mix”; “Darkseid” ft. 潘PAN; “Delete Forever”; “Violence – Original Mix” ft. i_o; “4ÆM”; “My Name is Dark – Art Mix”

Rating: 7/10

Released: 02/21/2020

Label: 4AD

Genres: Art pop, Dream Pop, Ethereal Wave, Nu-Metal, Contemporary Country

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RATING SCALE

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