SINGLE REVIEW: GRACE KELLY - BAD IDEA

After bursting onto our radar ahead of her Buckle & Boots 2023 appearance with the magnificent EP "Table For One", sightings of Grace have been a little limited. There was an incredibly hot and sweaty show in Kings Cross with Marianne Leigh, and a number of appearances on backing vocals for releases by Rob Jones & The Restless Dream but no new songs released under her own name until now.

It was at Rob's recent London show where Grace not only provided backing vocals but also performed a short solo set, where "Bad Idea" was one of the songs performed - who would have guessed quite what magnificence it would turn into?

From the opening electric guitar opening there is a vibrancy and urgency about this single and when it is joined by a fabulous fiddle sound, placed high in the mix, along with fast paced percussion there is a feeling that something special is going to happen.

"I had a bad idea

To stay up all night on a long haul flight

And think about you"

Grace all but lingers over the word "idea", stretching it, it is a technique she will also use on the words "night" and "flight" and that will follow through into the second verse.

"I had a bad idea

To get carried away with the thought that someday

I’d fly back home to you"

For those unfamiliar with Grace's backstory, you really need to go check out "Table For One", but suffice to say that she left New Zealand for the bright lights of er Manchester, but that entailed leaving everyone behind.

The pre chorus vividly paints a picture

"And as they dim the lights

Yeah you fade into the corner of my mind"

The chorus is a gem, Grace has her own unique phrasing skills, and they are allowed to run riot over the lyrics filled with tiny detailed observations, along with the drama of the closing lines when saying nothing can speak volumes.

"To that ceiling in the backroom that would drip each time it rained

To that wooden fuchsia bedpost that I begged you not to paint

Looking back a thousand miles ago when you asked me if I’d stay

And I said nothing

And you said nothing

It was a bad idea"

Musically the band are at full pelt, the percussion driving things forward while the fiddle played by Grace's band member Shimna Bridget, simply steals the show. The latter verses continue the drama, with so few words used to such great effect. Musically the first verse after the opening chorus is initially just percussion and fiddle, altering the sound to keep the listener guessing where things might go.

"I had a bad idea

To go along with your plans

You gripped hold of my hand

And then I left you

I had a bad idea

To give you space but you filled my place

Yeah you filled my void

And as I chase the lights

Yeah you fade into the corner of my mind"

There is a marvellous section where at one point Shimna's fiddle and Grace's vocal entwine to make one heavenly sound on what is undoubtedly one of the punchiest pop country singles of the year so far.

"Table For One" came with an early version of "For Us To Change" on voice memo, #TEAMw21 can exclusively reveal that Grace's forthcoming EP will include a demo version of "Bad Idea" with just Grace and her guitar. It really etches the sadness into each syllable, especially in the second half of the song, where it feels like Grace is reliving the song as she sings it, packing it full of emotion and raising the sadness level to new heights.

Bad Idea is released July 31st