Butterfly Blue

Spanning dreamy indie rock, futuristic pop and swaggering hip-hop, Grace Shaw reasserts her strengths on her debut album as Mallrat. Now based in Los Angeles, the Brisbane-born artist answers the promise of her early EPs with this passionate personal statement. Mellow and gentle before signing off with a flare of distortion, “Rockstar” re-evaluates heartbreak in the context of Shaw’s long-term career ambitions. Striking contrasts continue with tracks like the mantra-like “Your Love”, which confidently samples Gangsta Pat’s vengeful “Killa, Pt. 2”, and the folky lullaby “I’m Not My Body, It’s Mine”. Azealia Banks spits a sudden burst of fire on the otherwise slinky “Surprise Me”, a Jam City and Stylaz Fuego collaboration that repurposes a children’s choir singing Phoenix’s “Lisztomania”. Alice Ivy co-produces “Teeth”, a brooding alt-rock ballad that Shaw says would have once appeared on the soundtrack of <i>The O.C.</i> Showcasing Shaw as both a savvy producer and a penetrating lyricist, <i>Butterfly Blue</i> is Mallrat’s proper star turn.