I first stumbled upon Grace Robinson while scrolling Instagram a few months back, when a clip of her debut solo single, “harder than you think”, landed in front of me. With the flood of content pushed onto our feeds, it would’ve been easy enough to scroll past, but something about the hooky indie-rock track made it inescapable. Since then, I’ve closely followed her subsequent singles, “is it over?” and “driving”, while eagerly awaiting her debut album, choppy.
These singles set the scene for the album to come, and more specifically for the identity Grace was carving out for herself: introspective, honest, and an emerging indie-rock artist who knows what she’s here to say. After a decade working across the Australian music industry, much of it making music for other artists, Grace is finally sharing her own confessional, gritty sound. Those years of immersion have clearly paid off. This LP sounds less like a debut and more like the work of an artist who knows herself, her sound and exactly what she wants to say. Even when she’s questioning herself, she does so with an underlying conviction – a certainty that, while navigating the complexities of growing up in your twenties, she remains firmly assured in her voice.
choppy opens with “mother”, which immediately turns inward as Grace asks who she is and where she’s at, singing “I’m figuring it out, uncertain if I’m considered a good person”. It sets the tone for the album, as Grace reflects on her character, her decisions and where she thought she’d be by now. That kind of existential crisis and self-doubt feels like a rite of passage in your early twenties, and she captures the reality of coming to terms with the present when she sings “all I thought I’d be at 23 ain’t happening at all”. It’s a sharp, honest reflection on that confusing time, and an articulate opener that sets the stage for the deeply candid album to come.
The album was produced by Alex Gorman, who has previously worked with Angie McMahon, and mixed by Marcus Paquin, whose credits include Julia Jacklin and Saya Gray. Together they create a distinct sound across the album, with production that balances the melodies and carries the emotional charge of the vocals. “before I was” is more mellow, with slowed-down drums sitting beneath Grace as she sings “everyone decided who I was before I was”. Her vocal in the final minute of the track is a standout on the album. It marks her as an artist who not only shares all of herself through honest songwriting, but also has the raw vocal talent to give that delivery real emotional weight.
It’s clear why “is it over?” and “driving” were released ahead of the album, as both are standout moments on choppy. “driving” delves into burnout: trying to do everything at once and damaging yourself in the process. Its guitar riffs strike just the right indie-rock tone, pulling back for Grace’s tender lower register as she asks, “how long can I keep driving on empty until I fill you up?”
“is it over?” also helped set the scene for what this album would become, and remains a highlight. Grace is unflinchingly honest here, confessing, “I feel like I’m always taking up too much space.”
choppy feels like an album made with real intention: to tell a complete story, top to bottom, of the inner complexities of growing up and trying to become who you want to be. Closer “youth.” centres on exactly those challenges, as she sings to herself “don’t you trade your youth for the crown”, reminding herself to “be who you are in the now”. With the production building to a cinematic climax, it eloquently closes out this chapter of Grace’s story.
The album is raw, strong in its conviction and, most of all, an incredibly exciting debut from an Aussie artist cementing herself as one to watch.
FOUR STARS (OUT OF FIVE)
choppy is out Friday 13 November via AWAL Recordings. – you can pre-order it and pre-save it HERE
header image supplied by PR
