Mallrat - Light Hit My Face Like A Straight Right [180g Ultra Clear Vinyl w/Insert]

Cat. no: DEW9001554
Format: LP 180g Ultra Clear Vinyl w/Insert
Barcode: 0602475131830
Release Date: 14 Feb 2025
Genre: Indie

In Mallrat's (aka Grace Shaw's) vision of the world, light is more than photons and electromagnetic radiation hitting the eye -- it's a moment of divine intervention

A bold swerve into the metaphysical, this is the premise of the prized Brisbane-born, LA-based pop songwriter and producer's 2025 sophomore album: Light hit my face like a straight right. Set against a newly informed backdrop of expressive breakbeats and dance music, its 12 songs explore the intangible and mysterious allure of human connection, held together by curious investigations into light -- "the closest thing to a concept this album has," Mallrat says. She reunited with Butterfy Blue producers Styalz Fuego (Troye Sivan, Tate McRae) and Alice Ivy, while bringing into the mix indie electronic producers Chrome Sparks and Casey MQ.
Mallrat serves up highs like "Hideaway," a song where heart- racing garage clashes with her trademark candor: "I'll be your lucky charm just let me hang around your neck," she sings. Sleek and early standout "Pavement" gets a gritty underlayer with chopped up vocals from DJ Zirk's "Born 2 Lose" and mid- album standout "Hocus Pocus" fnds Mallrat singing about being pulled "under the spell" of someone new, borrowing a different part of the same DJ Zirk sample to build its shimmering, dancefoor-ready facade. It's an endeavor that perhaps reaches a peak on "Horses," the record's gentle and organic closer which Shaw herself calls "objectively the best song." Written after returning home to Brisbane and "feeling like an alien," it gained new meaning in the wake of her late sister's passing. For Shaw, it's the convergence of the song's minimalism, lyrics, space, and the way her voice cracks on the recording as she sings, "Hey, I'm right here, I look different now." After years of solidifying herself as a master of well- crafted, timeless pop -- felding recognition from New York Times, NYLON, Teen Vogue, Billboard, The FADER, NPR, and more -- Light hit my face like a straight right is a step into the art of world- building, bolstered by her intuitive songwriting and clever, studied production.

Tracks: My Darling, My Angel / Pavement / Something for Somebody / Virtue / Defbrillator / The Light Streams in and Hits my Face / Hocus Pocus / Hideaway / Love Songs/ Heart Strings / Ray of Light / The Worst Thing I Would Ever Do / Horses