‘Miss Anthropocene’ by Grimes, Album Review
Submission to humanity’s ‘new gods’ is a theme central to Miss Anthropocene, in which Grimes depicts a dystopian future where humans have abandoned the old ways of nature and religion, bowing down to the humanoid gods of a world where the artificial reigns supreme — and as terrifying as it is, she makes it sound kinda sweet.
Grimes’ highly-anticipated 2020 album, Miss Anthropocene, which was teased way back late 2018 with the single We Appreciate Power, hinting towards a nu-metal/industrial direction (as Poppy did on her latest LP “I Disagree” this January) on her latest record, is a lot more than what we initially expected.
Miss Anthropocene shares a lot of similarities with her earlier records pre-Art Angels where she was seen taking on a more lighthearted approach, most notably the aesthetic of her fan-favorite Visions, which, to be honest, I don’t really like that much — not as much as Halfaxa and Art Angels, at least.
And that trend is likely going to continue with Miss Anthropocene as I think it is one of her most cohesive projects yet.
Aside from a weird dream she had battling a Lord of the Rings character and her story of accepting pregnancy, Grimes cited Enya as an influence for the opening track So Heavy I Fell Through the Earth, which has an extremely infectious and otherworldly beat.
My Name Is Dark is heavily influenced by what she considers one of her favorite albums, A Downward Spiral from the alternative metal icons Nine Inch Nails; it even briefly mentioned the famous Smashing Pumpkins track Bullet with Butterfly Wings. It is the most sinister and most ‘metal’ song on the album with electrifying walls of guitar noises and distorted vocals dominating the chorus, which is a good fit considering the direction Grimes took and the theme she was going for on this album.
New Gods plays around the central theme of the album, much in the same way We Appreciate Power does, and it is the only track where Grimes’ singing is displayed most prominently with its stripped-back piano melody. Here, she finally accepts her fate with hands reaching out for the ‘new gods’ who can give her what she wants.
Just when you thought the album was going to conclude on a depressive note like a post-apocalyptic, cyberpunk wasteland, the uplifting 7-minute closer about adorning oneself IDORU brings back the charm of Art Angels.
7/10
