FAVORITE NEW TRACKS: GRACE MITCHELL - CAPITAL LETTERS

Grace Mitchell goes it the hard way on “Capital Letters”!

GRACE MITCHELL - CAPITAL LETTERS

There is no safe, easy, middle-of-the-road way in music. Especially in rock ‘n roll. With guitar-driven so far in decline, in terms of influence, you best be truly great if you’re gonna “make it.” With a billion-and-one bands on the planet, you best stand out, or you’ll simply be drowned out in the line noise. But isn’t that partially as it should be? Shall we harbor tepid tunes, re-hashed melodies, empty of ideas and not even trying? Music is where we erupt, where we put the best, brightest, most chilling moments of our lives, to share with the world and relate. It is where we are larger than life. Loud and proud, it’s where we’re allowed to scream and dance. It’s never about playing it safe.

This is something that Grace Mitchell seems to understand instinctively. “Hey/I know I’m making a big mistake/I want to do it the hard way/I want to say it in capital letters,” in neon-lit New Wave vocals, over starlight disco guitars, throbbing basslines, and funky breakbeat drum machines. Perhaps it’s her youthful idealism still speaking, at just 19 years old, but Mitchell’s boldness is paying off. She scored a headline slot at this summer’s Lollapalooza and is about to go on tour opening for Foster The People. The fact that “Capital Letters” does not sound like your typical faux-funk, yacht rock, baggy hip hop, recycled trap mindless festival pick is exactly the reason why Grace Mitchell deserves to be there, and why “Capital Letters” stands out, amidst the mustangs. Mitchell’s going for it, throwing herself into the music and doing something truly noteworthy. People are already frothing for her debut, and we here at We Are: The Guard are among them. Perhaps now you will be, as well.