For fans of Garbage, Hole, Fiona Apple, Alanis Morrissette and all other torchbearers of mid-’90’s rock, take note: Your redemption has arrived.
Skylar Grey is the much buzzed-about singer-songwriter responsible for some of the most devastating hooks in pop of the past year (Diddy Dirty Money‘s “Coming Home,” Eminem & Rihanna‘s “Love The Way You Lie”).
(For more on her somewhat fragmented history as a solo artist and songwriter, check out MuuMuse contributor Sam Lansky’s in-depth article on Skylar Grey’s roots.)
Now, Grey comes out from behind the shadows once again to blaze her own–err, well, shadowy trails: “Dance Without You” is the first taste of solo Skylar reborn; a deliciously disjointed, grinding moment of industrial noise and bluesy rock-tinged despair released for free on the singer’s website earlier today.
“So serious all the time / I feel the strain, I feel confined,” Grey slowly moans above the song’s plodding beat and searing guitar licks, produced by longtime collaborator and UK-born hip-hop producer, Alex Da Kid.
While “Dance Without You” is hardly the stuff of Top 40 dreams (at least, not from anytime this decade), it’s still a welcome contrast to today’s over-saturation of hype-speed electro pop ditties from the likes of Dr. Luke and RedOne.
It’ll be interesting to see if the tides will turn to allow more rock-minded singer-songwriters like Grey a chance to rule the charts once again alongside our favorite pop acts. After all, a little angst is never a bad thing.
Skylar Grey’s debut album is due out later this year.