Single Review: Grimes’ Esoteric Cyberpunk Dance In 4ÆM

Grimes | 4ÆM (single) | Miss Anthropocene | 4AD

Release Date: 19 December, 2019

A celestial, obscure darkness has always sculpted the radiant aesthetic of cyber pop-songstress Grimes; her extraterrestrial sound boasting a luminous dive into science-fiction and fantasy. The artist’s unique conceptual approach is best described as ‘ethereal’ – a term she has put forward as the best descriptor of her music; a term she believes should be a genre in itself.

“We petition that ethereal should be an official genre on streaming platforms! We are constantly told that Grimes doesn’t fit into any existing format or genre and therefore cannot be on playlists or radio.” 

Grimes, via Instagram

With the official release of her fourth single ‘4ÆM’ in December – of her upcoming album ‘Miss Anthropocene’to be released Feb 21st – the tech-futurism of Grimes ethereal nature is consistently bold and vibrant, with no better example than her performance of the track at the 2019 Game Awards; where she too revealed her role in the highly-anticipated, upcoming role-playing video game Cyberpunk 2077 – appearing as her avatar ‘Lizzy Wizzy’, a not-exactly-human pop-star inhabiting the game’s vast sci-fi universe, with ‘4ÆM’ featuring on the official soundtrack.

‘4ÆM‘ growls with a raw tenacity; the track bellows with a midnight spiritualism, peering through the gossamer threads of a foreboding darkness – the opening is shamanic with an air of mystery and determined rhythm, as if in preparation for a ritual. Grimes’ airy vocals swirl as prayers, an esoteric beat breaking through into the contemporary; synths beating as vivacious cyber-heartbeats as vigorous drum & bass presents a thunderous dance. The saccharine tone of Grimes’ vocals spill into tribal shouts, a psychedelic genre-mash up reverberating boldly through a futuristic world.

Rating: 7 / 10

Feature Image: Grimes by Eli Russell Linnetz