So just who is Grace Hayhurst? From what little research I’ve done, she’s either a tech savvy programmer, a photographer, or perhaps a musician and composer? No doubt she has many other talents, but let’s concentrate on the musician and composer, because judging by her debut full length album, The World Is Dying, this is where her future must surely lie.
I gather that she began playing piano at a young age, graduating to French horn which she played in various classical ensembles before, at eighteen, deciding to follow her love of progressive rock and metal, and teaching herself to play guitar and bass. As you do. Well, she’s clearly got the hang of it, because The World Is Dying is an outstanding piece of work. Grace plays almost everything herself, apart from some strings, harp and drums. The drums parts were written and played by Robin Johnson of Kyros fame, and his contribution to the album is crucial. It would have been a shame to have used programmed drums for music as organic and hard hitting as this, and Robin has nailed it totally. Almost everything else though is written and performed by Grace, and especially for a debut album, it’s stunning. The compositions are well thought out, arranged and recorded, and driven by a sense of determination to make the finished record sound as good as it possibly can.
As the title might suggest, it’s something of a lament at the state of the world. There are no solutions or chinks of light offered, but maybe there are none. It’s often an easy defence mechanism to assume there could be a happy ending if we only change our ways, but in the current climate, it’s hard to see that happening. So Grace offers a bleak outlook, but musically it is anything but bleak. If anything, it’s angry, and with good reason.
Keeps on turning
Keeps on burning
Annihilation.
Coal burning
Wage earning
Deforestation.’
The soundtrack to the title song, after a piano intro, is dense, with layered synths, piano, guitar and bass, along with Robin Johnson’s thunderous drums. There are shades of Opeth, and perhaps Porcupine Tree to the soundscape, but with Grace’s distinctive vocal style. It isn’t all heavy; it has dynamics and subtle touches, and some dazzling synth, but with a satisfying metallic crunch. It sets out the tone for the album, although there are many more facets to the other songs. It doesn’t come over as a concept album as such, but all the songs are thematically linked to the dying world idea, and it all hangs together cohesively.
And It’s Our Fault continues in similar vein, with some interesting time signature changes, some French horn punctuation, and a cool guitar solo leading to some superb drum fills on the outro. Us Vs Them starts with atmospheric eerie synth before the dense guitar and bass return. The melodies and vocal arrangements give this piece a different slant, whilst Our Forest, The Earth has some lovely moody bass lines in the intro before the pace picks up with some delightful dancing synth in between the verses. It’s a dark lament, but with some nice heavy guitar riffing before Grace reels off another cool solo.
Take Off is possibly the simplest slice of rifferama here, and shows that complexity, whilst evident elsewhere for sure, is not a prerequisite for a song to work. It’s a fun track which rocks like a beast, and has a bonkers video to accompany it. Robin Johnson again propels the song into orbit with his outstanding drums. This song though is eclipsed by the album’s centrepiece which follows, Revolution. It’s the longest track, and also the most ambitious. If there’s one big influence on this piece, it has to be Haken. It is the most idiosyncratic song, with some dramatic riffing, sublime vocal arrangements, crazy musical asides, a couple of harsh vocal moments, a slap bass vignette, and heaven knows what else. It has everything, and hurtles along at pace; really rather breathtaking. It has to be one of the best songs I’ve heard this year.
After the drama of Revolution, Armistice is a gentle instrumental interlude before the acoustic closing song, Absent Futures. It is a contrast to the rest of the album, but makes for a pleasing conclusion, despite its rather bleak message.
So there we are, an outstanding piece of work, which has been a few years in the making, but goodness me it’s been worth it. You’d have to search around to find a more impressive debut album, and one which is such a singular vision of one woman. This record bodes well for her future, and I earnestly ask you to give it a listen. We will hear a lot more from Grace Hayhurst, make no mistake.
TRACK LISTING
01. Prologue (1:23)
02. The World Is Dying (7:31)
03. And It’s Our Fault (7:07)
04. Us vs Them (5:13)
05. Our Forest, The Earth (6:39)
06. Take Off (5:29)
07. Revolution (12:47)
08. Armistice (1:17)
09. Absent Futures (2:22)
Total Time – 49:48
MUSICIANS
Grace Hayhurst – Guitar, Bass, Synths, Piano, French Horn, Vocals
Robin Johnson – Drums
ADDITIONAL INFO
Record Label: Independent
Country of Origin: UK
Date of Release: 4th March 2025
LINKS
Grace Hayhurst – Website | Facebook | Bandcamp | YouTube | X
