Grace. Although this word is the title of four-man British band Zola Blood’s debut single, it never once appears in the lyrics. This makes it unclear whether the word is a reference to a girl, a virtue, or a trait. Nevertheless, one thing is certain: among the slew of definitions that Merriam-Webster provides for this term, one stands out as being especially apt. “Grace,” both the word and the song, is embodied by an “ease and suppleness of movement or bearing.”
Of course, before I try to talk to you about this song’s ease and suppleness, I should probably mention that this track initially seems like an unlikely place to find the combination. Opening with a fuzzy thread of a beat that’s soon followed by sinewy vocals, the first picture “Grace” paints is one of tension and darkness. As the seconds pass, however, and the electronics integrate more and more organically into the lyrics, that same tension explodes into a supple lushness. And while “Grace” remains dusky throughout, its somberness proves that a song doesn’t have to be light to be full of ease. In fact, sometimes there’s nothing more effortless than the dark.