Charging out the gates for her first release of 2021, Melbourne singer-songwriter Gretta Ray is starting her musical year on a note of innovation, boundary breaking and rule-dashing. It’s distinctly and unequivocally her, and her latest concept in Duology: 1 is a home run if we’ve ever seen it.
Comprised of two songs joined in theme but still distinct, Gretta immediately communicates this is a super special release, which makes perfect sense, considering her Double A-sided single in ‘Bigger Than Me’ and ‘Readymade’ is layered with immeasureable intricacy and complexity. ‘Bigger Than Me’ sees Gretta revel in her pop bag with a steady beat and charging melody that lingers on your mind for days on end. ‘Readymade,’ on the other hand, feels like the ying to the yang of ‘Bigger Than Me,’ slowing it down with a melancholic vocal that feels both bluesy and folky.
Speaking on the new drop and her latest creative direction, Gretta explains “When I write a song, I often find it’s in response to something that I’ve already written about, whether that be a week or a year ago. ‘Bigger Than Me’ and ‘Readymade’ are both songs about my relationship with creativity, which is something that I can become very obsessive about, especially since I’ve found myself on that path, completely immersed in it, collaborating with a lot of like-minded people.”
The accompanying video for ‘Bigger Than Me’ sees Gretta explode off the screen with movement and joy, dancing with various extras and throwing down in glorious fashion as she loses herself to the dance. That’s all before they engage in some colourful ridiculousness, throwing various colours at each other as they continue to dance the night away. It’s a sublime embodiment of the tune and Gretta’s artistry, a sentiment that Gretta echoes in ‘‘This video is a colourful celebration of my relationship to the outer, all-consuming force that is creativity. An ode to all my creative collaborators and mentors over the years.”
Pretty sick to say the least, listen to Duology 1 below.