Over several releases spanning the last year or so, Monique Grimme has established a signature sound that blends rock drive with more subtle sonics, a dynamic blend of music that sweeps from high to low, from the energetic to the understated. Her latest, “White Hydrangeas,” sees her erring toward the more restrained parts of that spectrum, a song built on the deftest of sonic touches – gentle piano, delicate acoustic guitar, minimal beats, and little else, and it is this space that allows her voice to become the focal point of the song, merely framing it, rather than trying to compete.
Like a number of her previous songs, it is to the natural world, and more specifically her own garden, that she looks for inspiration. The titular plant has been an enduring presence there, even surviving the winter chill, a resilient growth that thrives through the hardest of times and with the minimal of help. Their perpetual nature also means that their blossoms are a constant source of beauty and shelter, attracting butterflies and insects to a sanctuary that flourishes even when others struggle.
In these perennial plants, Grimme saw reflected the same qualities that she admired in people – quiet strength, endurance, grace, and resilience – and so the seeds were sown (pardon the pun) for a song to celebrate the plant itself and those people who reflect its dignity and perseverance.
And so, sitting somewhere between the worlds of the most finessed and fragile folk and the accessibility of balladic, acoustic pop, she explores this inspirational plant, celebrating its prowess and powers, and, in doing so, looking beyond its literal qualities and paying tribute to those who she feels reflect the same spirit.
Chords tumble delicately from the deftly picked guitar, simple piano notes chime with charm and clarity, beats are unfussy, and as Grimme’s voice rises from hushed harmony to powerful yet poised heights, you realise that this is a love song. A love song celebrating the natural world and how, if we look at it, study it, and understand it, we can learn so much. Nothing is new; wisdom is everywhere.
“White Hydrangeas” is a wonderful addition to Monique Grimme’s musical tapestry. This song shows that even at her most stripped-back, she is still able to explore the fullest dynamic range, sure-footedly wandering between depth and delicacy, minimalism and melody, lightness and lyricism, poignancy and poetry.
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[…] and folk imagery into songs that are at once atmospheric and elemental, this latest one from Monique Grimme takes a turn into, perhaps, less expected soundscapes. While there is enough of her signature sound […]
[…] has always been something elemental at the heart of Monique Grimme‘s music, something that feels connected to the natural world, timeless and intangible with […]