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Grace Duncan - EP Review: Ruminations

25 Feb 2021 // A review by Corinne Rutherford

Originally from Hawkes Bay and currently residing in Wellington is composer and singer-songwriter Grace Duncan who has just released her eight track EP, Ruminations. Offering delicate layers of sound and graceful vocals, making this a haunting yet serenely beautiful collection of previously released singles. 

If you go to Grace's Bandcamp page, you will see that her music is described as "Alternative, rock/pop/folk and classical influences" that is, for the most part what you get on Ruminations, alternative pop/folk with a hefty classical vibe and peppered throughout with the stirring poignant strains of taonga puoro.

The intro track Fire Within guides you into this EP with a starting point of beautiful orchestration. Violin creating a calming environment which sets the tone for Ruminations.

Following on from the introduction is a full length track of the same name, which introduces you to Grace's gentle melodic vocals. For now is the next track which highlights the strength and thoughtful nature of Grace's song writing.

My personal favourite is Tree Against The Ocean, it is a stunning, gentle moving track of harmony and clean clear acoustic guitar, interspersed with traditional Maori Instruments.

You tend to float along to the music on Ruminations, wrapped in a poetic and mesmerizing aural environment. Then comes track six, Trance which jolts you out of your nice comfy musical cloak with a short sharp interlude of guitar picking. This is only short lived however, swiftly reverting back to "the rich and captivating soundscape".

Recently completing a Bachelor of Commercial Music at Massey University, Ruminations is Grace Duncan’s debut EP embracing the bold journey ahead with purpose, bringing her stories to light in an elegant and captivating way.

Rating: ☆☆☆☆☆ ( 4 / 5 )
 
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About Grace Duncan

Raised in the heart of Te Matau-a-Maui (Hawkes Bay), and living in Te Whanganui-a-Tara (Wellington), singer-songwriter and composer Grace Duncan offers her journey piecing together thoughts on mental and emotional strength around purpose and identity through her beckoning voice, and reflective and challenging lyrics. Expansive swelling strings and calming acoustic guitar melodies lay open a space for honesty and vulnerability as Grace explores these concepts, as well as a more personal aspect, the beginning of embracing her role as a Pakeha in Aotearoa (New Zealand). Writing from a young age and learning violin and guitar throughout her schooling, she was quick to explore melodies and harmonies as they fell into her lap, with childhood inspirations such as Brooke Fraser, Coldplay, Eric Whitacre and Dido. Nowadays her influences also include the likes of Billie Marten, Avalanche City, The Last Bison and Novo Amor.




Visit the muzic.net.nz Profile for Grace Duncan

Releases

Ruminations
Year: 2021
Type: Album

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