Grace McLean - My Lovely Enemy (2024) Hi-Res

Catching our ears the past year with tracks like “My Lovely Enemy” and “Albertine,” NYC-based artist Grace McLean continues to impress with an expansive pop charisma on the newly released full-length My Lovely Enemy. McLean shows a tendency for riveting, theatrical avant-garde showcases — and it’s no surprise her talents carry onto the stage as well, with Broadway success; McLean presently stars as President Woodrow Wilson in SUFFS.

The album release continues a stretch of critical acclaim and increased following of McLean’s music. “I love that people are connecting so deeply with these off-center pop songs about love and loss, because that’s what these songs are really about,” McLean says. “They sit in and celebrate the moment of exquisite unknowing when change begins.”

Highlights are in abundance, from the previously featured tracks to new standouts, like “Reckless.” Shades of Afro-pop linger in the bass-y reverberations and “lovers are calling,” refrain, lending a hypnotic groove throughout that drives into fulfilling orchestral flourishes. The range from lush title-touting entrancement and ardent vocal sequences prove commanding throughout. Elsewhere, “Living Light” ignites a piano-set balladry that ascends into a soulful immersion, with repeating vocal passion, while “Everybody Loves” closes the album with vibrant emotion. My Lovely Enemy is a compelling success from Grace McLean.

“Grace McLean [has] one of the most suggestive voices in North America today. Her sophisticated new [music] defies simple classifications, with more layers revealing themselves on repeated listens. Avant-garde pop…brilliant tracks.” ~ Rolling Stone