Mallrat’s “Light hit my face like a straight right” hits like a sucker punch and lingers like a kiss
Nestled somewhere between the excitement of hyper-pop and the atmosphere of bedroom pop, Mallrat’s Light hit my face like a straight right is an intricate exploration of girlhood, play-pretend emotions, and emerging as a new self. Grace Shaw, the Brisbane native behind Mallrat, has a way of building a lyrical world so intricate that it’s hard not to be swallowed whole by the words she sings. Each song is a blend of simple yet complex electronic details, perfectly reflecting the ebb and flow of life, the intense and chaotic highs, while also the softer and more reserved lows.
Lyrically, the album has a lot of wonderful moments. It gets its title from track two, “Pavement.” Shaw, using each lyric as a brick, constructs a scene in our minds that’s truly only visible if you’re absorbing her words. There are moments where the intensity and depth of the lyrics are downplayed by the instrumentals, and the repetitive “Told to break yourself, don't talk, save your breath.” The atmosphere of this song is so vibrant lyrically, I adore the imagery of the rain falling and walking toward an inevitable outcome.
The hyper-pop is at its strongest on “Hideaway.” These tracks have a captivating quality that is truly the album’s backbone. “Hideaway” picks up speeds and delivers the listener to an explosively accelerated chorus. To me, it almost feels like the quickness of a heartbeat around someone that you like, that distinct anxiousness that comes with wanting someone, but also the crescendo of excitement when you get to spend time with them. “Love Songs / Heart Strings” is another hyper-pop masterpiece that’s just all around fun vibes, the lyrics are a little more melted in with the sound itself which makes for a fluidity between track and instrumental.
“Hocus Pocus” is a fun collaboration between Mallrat and Kito that speaks of being taken hold by the all-consuming magic of another person. There’s an interesting dichotomy happening in the lyrics. Shaw seems to be fighting with herself over leaving a person or staying with them, but that magic manifests itself in her, and it’s unavoidable. “When I'm in your atmosphere, I fall under your spell / When I'm in your orbit, I absorb it, can you tell?”
There’s one song that truly stands out to me as being perfectly aligned with itself, meaning both the lyrics and instrumentals balance each other excellently. “Horses” is one of the quieter tracks on the album, and truly one of the most introspective. It serves as a wonderful conclusion to Light hit my face like a straight right, and Shaw sings, “Can somebody let me out of myself?” The song dwindles out with soft piano in the background, and it abruptly ends with the lifting of the piano pedal, which gives the album a wonderful finality.
Mallrat experimented in many different ways that she hasn’t before, and it seems to reflect a new version of herself. The album chronicles so many different points in time and explores memories like they’re old friends, both the good and bad.
