South Carolina native and dream pop specialist Grace Joyner is set to release her latest record, Settle In, on April 24. Known for her insightful examinations of youthful love and how those experiences shape our perspectives and emotional self-development, she continues to possess an unusual intuition into the complex conspiracies of the heart, as well as the consequences the movements of that muscle often bring. Her new album is an extension of these ideas and finds Joyner utilizing a melodic maturity which emphasizes a startling clarity in her words and music.
“I took my time with Settle In,” Joyner reveals. “This record covers a lot of ground for me. I took bigger risks in my songwriting process and pushed personal boundaries by exploring content around my romantic struggles, my family, and my relationship with the pursuit of music itself. In a lot of ways my love for music feels like a relationship—at times it feels like unrequited love and at times I have found it breaking my heart. But, ultimately, you can’t choose what or who you love, and if you don’t give it a fair shot you might never know what could have been.”
Joyner recently shared “Hung the Moon”, the second single from Settle In, a song draped in gossamer vocals and hazy pop rhythms that feels as weightless as wind and as intense as a desperate desire. Over the course of five minutes, Joyner weaves an enthralling web of indie pop machinations, buoyed by shivering synths and a voice that longs for tactile sensation. It’s a breathless exercise in how to perfectly balance these complicated sounds through the lens of intense personal experience.
“[‘Hung the Moon’] references the difficulties of trying to connect with someone you love,” she explains. “It’s about a big love so that is how I wanted the track to feel – almost otherworldly.”
