Navigating their biggest sound yet: A review of Grace Gardner’s single, ‘At Your Best’
Philadelphia-based singer-songwriter Grace Gardner waxes philosophical on their single, At Your Best, narrating with lyrical flare across an indie-rock scape of sound.
Released independently on October 18th, the track tells a somber story of giving up the ghost in a relationship that has reached its end. Capturing the sobering, frustrating and mournful moment of realisation that someone is never going to change, At Your Best follows Grace making peace with the fact that sometimes, at your best, you can only match someone at their worst.
Within their October 20th Instagram post, Grace explained the history behind the song:
“I was nervous to release this mostly on account of being told by various people (important music people, listeners, collaborators, and dates alike) that I wouldn’t ever amount to more than a whisper singer. Truth be told, the emotions I process through the writing of my music - mostly anger, because that is a hard one to express out loud - are only ever occasionally well-captured with a soft song.”
Noting their indie rock and folk rock influences on the project, Grace credited the song’s co-producer, Lonnie Davis, who worked alongside Grace on At Your Best, saying “there is truly no one who sees my vision” like he does.
“I am nervously excited to be navigating a bigger sound and showing it to you,” they continued, “but I have never been so proud of myself as a lyricist and composer as I am with this group of songs, and I am so lucky to have done it all with Lonnie. I am so lucky that you all listen to my music, I am so grateful for those of you who have received me and my art with such open arms.”
Grace’s career is indebted to their early inspirations, with the women of 70s and 80s rock that their parents so admired leaving a lasting impression on their musical tendencies. Vocally, Grace’s style range feels somewhere between the classic crooners such as Stevie Nicks and the current folk-pop darlings such as Maggie Rogers.
But, their examination of life through lyrics are unlike either of these examples. Shifting from laments of hopeless love on the lushly arranged Deny Me to the subdued by thrumming drive of Scorpions Don’t Live Forever that evokes the feeling of a long, desert drive with something on your mind, Grace’s ability to marry a snapshot of emotions with understated musical arrangements is unparalleled, and At Your Best is no exception.
Grace carves the visage of a man wrapped in the throes of a victim complex, sense of elitism and entitlement, as they’re stuck in an echo chamber where his voice is the strongest of all.
This is him at his best, but this is no match for the narrator at theirs and they are both entirely incompatible with each other’s outlooks.
Lyrics such as “believe in your truth next to every other fool” ring with an unsettling truth in the wake of the US election win, as all attempts to douse the flames of the president’s rage fall on deaf ears. With wistful laments, Grace croons that he may have “all the degrees, the security, the steam”, but despite this he is not better than, as they lilt “You don’t know better than I do” with impassioned vigour.
Calling to mind Phoebe Bridgers’ tumultuous closing track I Know The End from her album Punisher, At Your Best is a fitting final bout, perfect for a set closer at one of their gigs. With this addition to their evolving discography, Grace further demonstrates a steady grasp of what makes poetic singer-songwriter rock click with their listeners.
Climaxing in a cathartic sing-a-long moment at the song’s peak, At Your Best marries content with form, adding another impactful song to Gardner’s expanding catalogue.
Proving that they are far more than just a ‘whisper singer’, Grace’s indie-rock single is a thoughtful, emotive and unafraid example of just how powerful your voice can be when you know exactly what you have to say.
Those who enjoyed At Your Best will be glad to know that Grace has since released another single: Big Picture with buffchick. A country-esque, diary-like single exploring friendship, queerness and the multi-faceted nature of heartbreak, Big Picture is a perfect addition to any lyric-heavy, lamenting playlist this Autumn.
And whilst we wait for Grace’s upcoming EP, After Knowing to be released, you can follow them on Instagram and find the rest of their music on Spotify: