Wer8™ Music Review: GRACEY What a Waste

Photographer: Noiseporn | Source: Unsplash

Now I’m not an avid watcher of the BRITS. I just about keep up with modern music. Trust me, I only found out about Carly Rae Jepsen's E-mo-tion album two months ago. And that was released six years ago. To say I live under a rock when it comes to modern music is putting it rather lightly. Hence why I had no idea who GRACEY was.

Yesterday, when I finally checked the explore page on Youtube and went to the music option, I found many up-and-coming artists. I had no clue who any of them were. No, that's not because a record company has picked them up. It's because my music taste is ten years out of date.

In the end, I clicked on ‘What a waste’ by GRACEY. I had no idea why; I never heard of her. I'm assuming it's because her name was in all caps. (At least we know the marketing works.)

First impressions

The first thing that grabbed me was the very fast-paced beat. I think is made either by guitar or doing some fancy stuff with a launchpad. It is similar to Litany in a way. However, this is much more fast-paced and feels way more like it belongs to a nightclub setting. It pushes the electronic techno feeling.

Now when GRACEY did begin her first verse. At first, I couldn’t make out what she was saying; not necessarily her fault. It's just where I’m not used to listening to the artist. Simple solution: listen to a lyric video, and it immensely helped in getting the right lyrics.

Before I do go on to analyze the lyrics, how they complement the song and the music video. You can instantly tell what GRACEY is influenced by in the way she sings her vocals. It feels like Sia inspires her in the way she annotates in certain places. Not a bad thing at all. In fact, that suits the song very well and makes her seem more distinct, especially as you can pick up on her British accent. (Yes, I did have a look at her Wikipedia after listening to What a waste. Hence why I now know about GRACEY and the Brit awards.)

Looking at some of the lyrics

The imagery within the song itself is simple. With, ‘I took the jacket I was leaving at yours. My last excuse for turning up at your door, oh.’ It helps set the scene and shows the end of the relationship from the outset. The way GRACEY sings the lyrics is pretty amazing. It's rather high-pitched and soft. Considering the type of music, it is a rather nice surprise and gives the music this nice angelic quality.

‘I was hoping for the best, but I guess hoping ain't enough. I was giving more while you were giving up.’ Again the angelic sound of the lyrics continues here. Not using the drumbeat here, and just going back to the guitar strumming we hear at the beginning (or use a launchpad but again not a musician.) Allows the lyrics to breathe and enables an impact when we reach the chorus and the drumbeat returns.

The chorus

‘What a waste, two years of my 20s gone down the drain. Now I gotta go and fall in love again, in love again, yeah. Oh. And how come you're okay, and I'm still feeling bitter about your mistakes? Now I gotta go and fall in love again, in love again, yeah.’

The lyrics are relatable. However, the line ‘What a waste, two years of my 20s gone down the drain.’ feels like a gut punch. Especially as the fast-paced drum beat has come back, making the rhythm of the song move faster. And the pitching works really well. It makes you think that somehow waste and drain rhyme! I also think any relatability to your early 20s going down the drain comes down to being stuck inside due to a pandemic.

The lyric ‘I'm still feeling bitter about your mistakes.’ It is another gut punch as everyone's had a relationship where they still get angry at how their partner has messed them about. Or just general closure.

I believe the thing that sells this song is GRACEY’s ability to sing in a very high pitch. Also, the autobiographical embellishments help make it universally appealing.

The music video

The music video for What a waste is rather simplistic, yet, it works really well for the song. The cinematography remains still when GRACEY isn’t moving around the set. Then, when she’s more dynamic in movement, there is slow panning. Until the final verse to sell the movement of GRACEY rocking back on a chair.

The red jacket

Obviously, the jacket is mentioned in the lyrics, and the way it's utilized in the dance routine is pretty neat. As thrashing it about and trying to tear it are incorporated into the dance routine. It helps sell the grief, and sadness GRACEY is trying to convey in the lyrics.

The dance routine

The choreography feels similar to that of hip hop because it matches the beat and is made up of body locking. (I’m not a dance expert, please don’t quote me on that, it's my best guess.) I also feel like because the movements are simple, it would be a bit easier for the average person to learn and replicate. I will say that it fits the music well in the way it utilizes the set, allows GRACEY to move around and act like she’s upset over the breakup and is rather fluid, and matches well to the lyrics.

Overall opinion

Although I got confused with the lyrics at first and struggled to make it out, the music is nice and fast-paced. The lyrics enable you to get the message of the song easily. I just wanted a bit from the imagery in the lyrics. Ultimately it serves as a good introduction to GRACEY and her style. I enjoyed listening to it.