This Is Our Jam: Grimes, “Genesis”

While it was inevitable that Canadian avant-pop artist Grimes was going to reach a larger audience with the release of her new album Visions, the announcement that Claire Boucher has signed to indie-heavyweight 4AD (home to St. Vincent, Bon Iver, Atlas Sound, and many others) seems to cement it. Just as telling: the release of new single “Genesis,” another track that portends that each new song Grimes drops will be as inventive, catchy, and ethereal as the last.

With “Genesis,” Grimes’ typically whispery vocal delivery weaves in and out of a foggy East Asia-tinged landscape. While Boucher may recently have joked “I don’t want to seem like some Asia-phile,” it’s apparent that Eastern musical tropes have served as a very real inspiration for her slinky melodies.

The best moment on “Genesis,” is about two thirds of the way through, when the atmospherics are peeled away, leaving Boucher’s vocals naked over sparse handclaps and a synth arpeggio. It’s a moment of clarity, and it shows that Grimes’ uniquely hypnotic voice is why we keep coming back for more. Listen below, and you'll see what we mean.