With ‘River’ and ‘If I Tremble’ – two albums I love – under him followed by a couple of singles, Jack Grace returns with A Ribbon.
Now living in Paris, A Ribbon marks Grace’s new approach to songwriting and production. Influenced by his time spent in Paris, retro-inspired synths shine alongside Grace’s mixed feelings for his new surroundings with a more pop direction.
Speaking on the single and his move from Sydney to Paris, Grace says:
“A Ribbon’ deals with nostalgia, homesickness and mixed feelings about growing up with small-town aspiration. The day I wrote it, I had this sensation that we were slowly waking from a hazy post-millennial suburban dream. Lots of things they told us growing up didn’t pan out how we thought they would and there’s been hope and people lost along the way. ‘A Ribbon’ refers to that little piece of silver lining I’m hanging onto.
I moved to Paris for a change of scenery and a girl. It was overwhelming, there’s a weight of responsibility that the city holds over you through constant reminders of its historical significance especially when it comes to art, aesthetics and literature. This is the exact opposite to what I was used to growing up in Australia, I’m much more comfortable staring at empty landscapes. Around the end of my first year in France, I had a moment where I realised I had inadvertently ripped the rug out from under my identity. I went about trying to rebuild it.”