In 2021, Griff won the Brits’ rising star award, catapulting her into a creative production mode and a touring schedule that left the singer-songwriter nearly burnt out. Now, after an inspiration-seeking grand tour of European Airbnbs, the Hertfordshire native is back with ‘Vertigo’, a debut album defined by exciting and breathy pop.
There are darling, if conventional, moments in the title track, and driving dance-pop ballad Miss Me Too. Both are polished songs that could easily soundtrack the finale to a teen drama series or a meal at a fast food restaurant. Here Griff’s vocals are centre stage — youthful, expressive and open-hearted. It’s undeniably bankable pop.
Elsewhere, Astronaut is a weary ballad with Chris Martin of Coldplay on piano and a focused (though still soaring) vocal performance from Griff.
It feels very school disco-ey and authentic on its own terms, but that Martin collab has a sting in its tail. When considered as a Griff song, Astronaut is strong. But when considered in the long shadow of Coldplay’s hits, it feels like an off-cut or a B-Side.
The most fun to be had is on Pillow In My Arms, a track which marries Balearic patches with a stop-start rhythm in a musical happening that feels both hypnotic and avant-garde. The lyrics have an intimacy and emotional delicacy that recalls the Police’s The Bed’s Too Big Without You. It’s a really strong song and in many ways represents the album’s most original moment, despite sounding a lot like Dua Lipa.
In fact, that comparison can be made throughout the record. There is a nasal, AutoTuned quality to a lot of the singing here, intensely felt on the Mura Masa-produced Cycles, which is mostly an accomplished club track without troubling any sort of genuine musical ecstasy.
‘Vertigo’ is a good first LP — Griff’s 2021 offering ‘One Foot in Front of the Other’ is officially a mixtape — but it falls short of brilliant or fantastic. The music is secure, expert and professional, but on the whole it’s not groundbreaking, arresting or undeniable. One suspects the producers are trying to develop on the sound and persona that Dua Lipa has built and take it in a different direction. But that direction isn’t very clear at this stage.
Griff Upcoming Tour Dates are as follows:
Tue August 13 2024 - BRISBANE Princess Theatre
Thu August 15 2024 - SYDNEY Enmore Theatre
Sat August 17 2024 - MELBOURNE Northcote Theatre
Mon August 19 2024 - AUCKLAND Powerstation
Fri September 13 2024 - WASHINGTON District Of Columbia - 9:30 Club (USA)
Mon September 16 2024 - PHILADELPHIA Pennsylvania - Theatre Of Living Arts (USA)
Tue September 17 2024 - NEW YORK New York - Terminal 5 (USA)
Fri September 20 2024 - BOSTON Massachusetts - Citizens House of Blues Boston (USA)
Sat September 21 2024 - MONTREAL Quebec - Beanfield Theatre (Canada)
Sun September 22 2024 - TORONTO Ontario - Danforth Music Hall (Canada)
Tue September 24 2024 - DETROIT Michigan - Saint Andrew's Hall (USA)
Thu September 26 2024 - CHICAGO Illinois - Vic Theatre (USA)
Fri September 27 2024 - MINNEAPOLIS Minnesota - First Avenue (USA)
Sun September 29 2024 - DENVER Colorado - Ogden Theatre (USA)
Mon September 30 2024 - SALT LAKE CITY Utah - Depot (USA)
Wed October 02 2024 - VANCOUVER British Columbia - Commodore Ballroom (Canada)
Thu October 03 2024 - SEATTLE Washington - Showbox SoDo (USA)
Fri October 04 2024 - PORTLAND Oregon - Crystal Ballroom (USA)
Sun October 06 2024 - SAN FRANCISCO California - Regency Ballroom (USA)
Mon October 07 2024 - LOS ANGELES California - Wiltern (USA)
Wed October 09 2024 - SAN DIEGO California - Observatory North Park (USA)
Thu October 10 2024 - PHOENIX Arizona - Van Buren (USA)
Fri November 08 2024 - GLASGOW O2 Academy Glasgow
Sat November 09 2024 - BIRMINGHAM O2 Academy Birmingham
Sun November 10 2024 - BRISTOL O2 Academy Bristol
Tue November 12 2024 - MANCHESTER Manchester Academy
Wed November 13 2024 - LONDON Alexandra Palace
Mon November 18 2024 - COLOGNE Carlswerk Victoria (Germany)
Tue November 19 2024 - AMSTERDAM Paradiso (Netherlands)
Wed November 20 2024 - ANTWERP De Roma (Belgium)
Fri November 22 2024 - HAMBURG Docks (Germany)
Sun November 24 2024 - BERLIN Huxleys (Germany)
Mon November 25 2024 - COPENHAGEN Vega (Denmark)
Wed November 27 2024 - MUNICH Theaterfabrik (Germany)
Fri November 29 2024 - LAUSANNE Les Docks (Switzerland)
Sat November 30 2024 - MILAN Magazzini Generalli (Italy)
Mon December 02 2024 - BARCELONA Razzmatazz (Spain)
Tue December 03 2024 - MADRID La Riviera (Spain)
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