In making the album, Grey partnered with her longtime producer Alex Da Kid (Imagine Dragons, X Ambassadors), as well as with Mike Elizondo and Mark Batson (a duo whose collaboration with Grey marks their only time working together outside of producing for Dr. Dre and Eminem). And on “Come Up for Air,” Grey again teamed up with repeat collaborator Eminem, who co-executive-produced Don’t Look Down along with Alex Da Kid.
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For lead single “Cannonball” (a track that shot to #3 on the iTunes Alternative chart), Grey joined forces with labelmates X Ambassadors to deliver a high-energy anthem about “the power of will and how it can be an underdog’s greatest advantage.” With its dusky guitar melodies and lilting strings, “Moving Mountains” shifts into a gentler direction, presenting a quietly powerful meditation on the cost of ambition. “For a long time I was very career-oriented, to the point where I missed a lot of birthdays and weddings and just wasn’t a very good friend,” says Grey. “But then I started to realize that the joy you feel from achievement is so fleeting—it lasts a moment and then it’s gone. So this song’s about changing perspective and enjoying every moment, letting your happiness lie with the small things and with the people you love.”
On “Closer,” Grey takes on a whispery minimalism, her ethereal piano work and spectral vocals exploring the notion of love that endures beyond death (“It’s about losing somebody you love and wondering where that person is now,” explains Grey, “and then the deceased person telling you, ‘I’m closer than you know’”). And on “We Used to Be Bad”—with its dreamlike storytelling and sprawling arrangement of gauzy vocals, sparse guitar lines, and shadowy effects—Grey offers a look back at the fragile beauty of childhood. “It’s about thinking back to when you were a rebellious kid getting into all kinds of trouble, and realizing those were some of the best days of your life,” she says.
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“I’ve definitely gone on a lot of musical adventures over the past few years, working with people in hip-hop and with DJs and experimenting in all these different genres,” Grey says. “And it’s good to keep going on adventures, because you never know what you’re capable of. But this new album is very much me coming home, and doing something that’s most authentic to who I am at the core.” To that end, Grey made much of the album in her home studio in Park City and produced two of the tracks on her own (“Closer” and “American”). “Being in Utah, where there’s peace and quiet and room to think, it really helped me to focus and create what felt right to me,” she points out.
Closer
Come Up For Air (feat. Eminem)
Gone Fishing
Jump
American
Lemonade
Moving Mountains
Picture Perfect
Salvador Dalí
Cannonball (feat. X Ambassadors)
We Used To Be Bad
Her debut is still fresh sounding and her writing and singing ability are stellar. Can't wait for this album.
What are you gals not hearing??