Los Angeles based singer, Violet Grae is not an easy artist to classify. Her sound and her style are equal parts beauty, shock and awe. Her entire persona is a statement of defiance and female empowerment. Violet is fighting the patriarchy in an industry which takes advantage of young women as a matter of course. That fighting attitude has led others to describe her as, “a punch, visually and vocally.”
“Friend U Can Keep” is Ms. Grae’s fourth single released in the past year. The track is an empowering declaration of sexual and psychological dominance and seduction. Violet wastes no time in making it clear as to who is calling the shots. In the first line of the lyric she commands, “pull yourself together, enough to come to bed.” What follows are three minutes and twenty-three seconds of similar declarations, each more alluring (and a little frightening) than the last. By the time the song reaches the chorus, Violet bluntly states, “You will do what you’re told.” A couple of F-bombs later, and you’re done.
I really dig the production here. The structure of the tune is a wild mix of styles and genres. Industrial EDM bass and synths are paired with a funky Dancehall-style beat. At center stage is Violet’s seductive R&B vocal, peppered with expertly executed Jazz phrasing. Throughout the tune, a psychedelic fuzz organ riffs wildly in the periphery. Despite all of these disparate parts, the song has a stark minimalist cohesion. It pulls you into its world and keeps you there.
Violet Grae released “Friend U Can Keep” months ahead of schedule due to the current world health crisis. She says, “Through this unimaginable hardship we are currently facing, I want to cultivate a little love, light, and share new music with my listeners that are currently confined to their homes. We can still come together during this crisis even if it is not physical.”
Follow the links below to connect with the artist and keep up to date on all of her current and future releases. You can hear “Friend U Can Keep on both the Deep Indie Dive and the Deep Indie Beat playlists.