Front Deck Boom Box: Gracie Jean

Hailing from the East Coast of NSW, Australia’s up and coming alt-country/folk artist, Gracie Jean is a storyteller, artist, nature lover and Christian with a lot of feelings. As a timid child music became an outlet to express her feelings when her confidence was in short supply. Encouraged by her grandfather who pitch tested her at 5 years of age, and saw incredible potential in her abilities, she began to discover who she was in music and what she was truly capable of.

Delving deep into a world of intricate storytelling and a heart beautifully aware of the feelings and emotions experienced by the human race, she recently debuted her powerful new album, Romance Is Bad. Compared to artists such as Taylor Swift, Kacey Musgraves, Isobel Knight and Holli Col, Gracie shares raw, honest, and melancholic lyrics, fused with uplifting and inspiring melodies and harmonies, to paint a holistic picture of human emotion through her ‘sad girl starter kit’ album.

Produced and mixed by Matt Wykniet in Nauti Studios (Standmore) and mastered by Harvey O’Sullivan at Studio 303, the collection of 9 songs were written by Gracie as a way of processing the feelings of sadness that she had been experiencing through her own experience of clinical depression and the emotions associated with the challenges of her mother’s 6-year journey of chronic heart failure and her parent’s marriage breakdown and her own relationship breakdowns.

We caught up with Gracie Jean to find out what songs she’s been listening to for this week’s Front Deck Boom Box.

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1. Read Between The Lines – Piper Butcher 

It was a treat to stumble across Piper Butcher at an open-mic night in Newcastle. This track is the country/blues song of my dreams, and it made me so excited to see a young woman killing it in the Aussie country scene. Country harmonies, electric guitar licks and Piper Butcher’s off-the-chain vocals make this song into an absolute country-rock banger. 

2. Better Man – Taylor Swift 

I have still not recovered from the release of Red (Taylor’s Version). As soon as I heard the swell of the pedal-steel in the intro of this song I knew I would be hooked, and I was right. As a die-hard swiftie, there is always going to be a Taylor song in my top five at any given time. When those country harmonies break out in the chorus, my heart simply soars. 

3. Hell Or High Water – Isobel Knight + Post 

One of my friends said, “Hell or high water makes me want to fall in love and then die” and I couldn’t agree more. Hell or High water, in conjunction with ‘Manderley’, are the collaborative efforts of Isobel Knight, Post, and co-producer Angus Webster. Isobel’s voice soars over an intricately designed soundscape, as she hollers about devoted love in a way that always makes me feel a little emotional. 

4. Stable On Your Love – Jenny Denny 

Jenny Denny is a wonderful woman who writes sad songs that make me feel really happy. The song opens with a strumming acoustic guitar which gives me the comfortable, warm feeling that she is singing about. Her lyricism and sweet acoustic strumming create a vivid picture in my brain of a comfortable, stable relationship and the beauty of the mundane.  

5. I Don’t Live Here Anymore – War on Drugs 

This song has been on repeat all of this year, probably because I’ve been doing a lot of driving, and this is the most perfect song for driving down the freeway. It’s a nice combo of soft-rock and synth-pop that makes me feel like I am living the life of the main character at the end credits of a coming-of-age film. 

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Keep up to date with Gracie Jean on her Facebook page here.
And check out some more of our Front Deck Boom Box series here.