Grimes Traverses The Realm Of Light With A Helium Voice In 'Pretty Dark'

Grimes has released an eye catching new record that apparently won't be featured on her upcoming album. "Pretty Dark," despite what its name suggests, is pretty light. She's also released an accompanying video of her singing the record as swirling computer graphics filter around her. What an...Odd way to begin the morning. Nevertheless in this case, uncommon is good!


"Pretty Dark" sounds like Grimes had her fill of helium gas before recording it. This bubbly record mixes elements of techno and dream pop to make an absolutely otherworldly presence, one where creatures designed by Takashi Murakami prance in eternal green pastures. Grimes' voice is the rain that wets these fields, its misty nature bringing thick blankets of fog as soon as her voice meets the down thump of bass drums. There's an immersive excellent in the tune that becomes clear once you're jolted back to reality right after it ends.


The accompanying video is equal parts selfie footage and good ol' Grimes' eccentricity. It's never as simple as a front-facing singing clip with her, so watching it evolve after awhile continuously yields new results. The backdrop to her selfie video is initially a pond nevertheless after awhile it evolves into vines, dark water, and rippling pools of psychedelic graphics. Eventually, some gigantic diamonds and a Wonder Woman-like tiara are grafted onto her face. At the end, the production value increases tremendously. We visualize a mysterious body of water illuminated in purple and red hues while people stand indoor of it. It's a brief image, however a symptom of the otherworldly vibe that the song brings. This is the world that we imagine as soon as listening to this otherworldly record.


In the description for the video, Grimes revealed exactly where the song comes from since it's not from her long-awaited, oft-delayed album. "This is from a AR musical I'm working on," she wrote. She also revealed that the song and video were made on Wednesday. That's a super quick turnaround. She also wrote that she's finishing her album and will begin casually releasing music that's she worked on. Her last release before this one was the robotic, HANA-assisted "We Appreciate Power" that dropped in November. Grimes' last full-length LP was 2015's Art Angels.