End of the World? WHAT “MISS ANTHROPOCENE” PROPHESIZES O ON FEB. 21, GRIMES rebrash song. Falling somewhere between one last glance before disappearing into
leased an album about the a throbbing in one’s temples and fear of the crowd. world ending. A month later, an imminent threat, “Darkseid” leaves “Before the Fever” is an acceptance the world ended. skin prickling. of the end of time. Slow and sad, Grimes
“Miss Anthropocene” is the fifth “Delete Forever,” another single, is begs to be danced until the end of the studio album from writer and producone of the stand out tracks on the album. night during the end of the world, another Claire Boucher, better known as Rather than distorted sounds and synths, er goodbye. Grimes. Boucher, who has been writing, the song opens with a strong acoustic As a whole, “Miss Anthropocene” producing and performing as Grimes guitar riff. An ode to the death of friends, is an incredible album with a collection since around 2010, has never identified “Delete Forever” is the waving of a white of unparalleled tracks. Each song evokes with genres. Each album is distinct and flag, surrendering to agony. While holdits own set of feelings in listeners, and unique, creating little worlds of their ing its head high, “Delete Forever” sheds the journey through the album is as own. a tear for those lost. thought-provoking as it is emotional.
While Grimes’s last album was an The song “4ÆM” is a beast of its Given the general theme of the end of the exploration of pop, full of bubbly inown, marrying mystery and flashing maworld, “Miss Anthropocene” feels that strumentals and melancholy lyrics about nia. The songs’ slow silky verses build up much more relevant during this global heartbreak and yearning, “Miss Anthrointo a chorus spilling with energy, akin pandemic. With expressions of fear and pocene” is unabashedly dark and grunto speeding through a tunnel, fast paced an uncertain future, the album speaks to gy. Although the idea of a concept album and loud. The juxtaposition between the state of the world today. Lyrics like written in the perspective of climate these two elements is what makes the “Unrest is in the soul” and “Is this the change personified was initially polarsong work. A high always needs a low, sound of the end of the world” hold a izing, “Miss Anthropocene” stands out and “4ÆM” achieves this seamlessly. different significance than they did three as an incredibly rich and layered piece “My Name is Dark” is as bitter as months ago. of work. Dissecting the world we live in, it is cold. Angry and raw, the song has a The bonus track “We Appreciate the album is crawling with sludgy, inscore to set, damage to inflict, a world to Power,” which is devoted to A.I., is a dustrial tracks, some alluring and some burn. Between feral screams and wailing song giddy about the reign of artificial agonized. lyrics, “My Name is Dark” toes the line life forms. When thinking about how
The viscous journey into “Miss Anof distortion, ferocious and unforgiving. fragile we are, susceptible to illness and thropocene” begins with “So Heavy I Promising chaos, the song is vehemently disease, one calls into question how susFell Through the Earth.” Released in Noruthless. tainable human life really is. Maybe the vember 2019, “So Heavy I Fell Through “You’ll Miss Me When I’m Not future of our planet does require a change the Earth” was the second official single. Around” is a sobering song about suiin traditional human life, and maybe The song is slow and haunting, Grimes’s cide. Melodic and strangely sweet, the “Miss Anthropocene” isn’t that far off crooning fully submerging the track in song is a kiss goodbye, the forfeit of anfrom our reality. Whatever the future may murky woe. other day. “You’ll Miss Me When I’m Not hold, “Miss Anthropocene” stands as an
Following “So Heavy I Fell Through Around” is repentful and burns with reincredible album, and quite possibly, an the Earth” is “Darkseid,” an eerie and morse all while giving a soft squeeze, just important warning. v
