Britain’s fastest rising pop star Griff has released her first mixtape, ‘One Foot In Front Of The Other’, and shows off why she is worthy of the newfound mass attention that has been surrounding her the past few months. Within the seven songs, the 20-year-old has proven to be multi-faceted whilst acting up as a producer, writer and performer.
On the cusp of superstardom, Griff tackles with the emptiness of the ending of a relationship in lead single ‘Black Hole’, the embracing warmth of a person that calms you in ‘Shade of Yellow’, the greatness found in people even if they don’t realise it themselves in ‘Walk’ and all emotions in between. The sound of the mixtape is cohesive and traces touches of ‘80s productions, with experimental daunting backtracks and ultimate pop buildups that create danceable moments in even the most despair filled of tracks.
“And you are so scared of dying slowly, but why aren’t you more scared of dying lonely?”, captures the sentiment of ‘Earl Grey Tea’. The penultimate track questions the priorities of a loved one, someone who is preoccupied with health concerns but doesn’t allow any attention to other important stuff that is falling apart around them. “And before you make it to Heaven, how are you going to save me and you?”, sees Griff take a moment to reflect on the relationship and what she would like to see change. Title track ‘One Foot In Front Of The Other’ might be the best example of pure-pop excellence found in 2021. Griff’s delicate textured voice leads the listener into a world of change. A universe found of greatness even if “things take longer to heal these days”.
Griff’s debut mixtape was largely written, recorded and produced by herself during the 2020 lockdown, which elevates the tracks by creating multiple dimensions of meaning behind them. Because although loneliness perpetuates in all moments of life – the early stages of lockdown made people tackle with their previous utilised coping mechanisms and no longer had social interactions to hide behind which translates especially well in ‘Remembering My Dreams’ whilst ‘Shade of Yellow’ acts as a sweet escape.
‘One Foot In Front Of The Other’ is a perfect introductory tale to the talents of Sarah Faith Griffiths whilst already keeping up the excitement for upcoming projects and tours that will showcase Griff’s stellar artistry. And although the 20-year-old is just at the start of her trajectory, it’s already apparent that her soft-yet-vulnerable type of pop will become a new staple.
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Written by: Lauren Dehollogne
GEM Magazine 