Australian singer-songwriter Gretta Ray has burst into 2021 with ‘Duology One‘, an innovative concept for distributing music, releasing two paired singles: ‘Bigger Than Me‘ and ‘Readymade‘.
Ray found herself frequently and unintentionally writing thematic pairs within her songs. Over the coming year, she will be releasing a selection of these coupled songs, which she has defined as ‘Duologies’. Ray underlines that these pairings of songs, while connected thematically, are creatively distinct. ‘Duology One’ features ‘Bigger Than Me’ and ‘Readymade’. The tracks were written five months apart from each other, but engage with Ray’s relationship with creativity.
‘Bigger Than Me’ is an emphatic and bubbly pop song. It builds joyously in celebration of the perceived outward force of creativity taking over her spiritually.
“This love hit without a warning / Took control and it has dawned on me that it’s all I need / This is bigger than me”
The vibrant synths combined with soothing vocals offer the listener an insight into the rush of adrenaline that Ray is overcome with when inspired by the spirit of creativity. ‘Bigger Than Me’ seamlessly flows into the more subdued and intimate track ‘Readymade’, which offers a far more introspective examination of creativity. ‘Readymade’ also features a stripped back sound, with more vulnerable lyrics. ‘Bigger Than Me’ reflects the adrenaline of performance, whereas ‘Readymade’ is more of a private decompression after a performance.
“Tell me you’ll take all of my weight / Have me seek solace to regain faith”
Gretta Ray has been exploring the boundaries of her work since her 2016 win of Triple J’s Unearthed competition for emerging artists in Australia. The duality of this pairing is clear, with an initial extroverted track being followed by an introverted one. This underscores not only the inherent juxtapositions of the creative process and performance; but also highlights the intricacy and complexity behind her musical output. If these dichotomies are already being explored in Ray’s first Duology, we are sure to be in for an exhilarating ride throughout the rest of 2021.
