At HIVE, we’re no stranger to the extremely talented Griff. Jumping onto the scene in 2019, her debut single ‘Mirror Talk’ was released through Warner Records, to whom she is signed to. In early 2021, she won the Brit Award for Rising Star, and released her debut mixtape ‘One Foot in Front of the Other’ a few months later. After supporting massive acts like Dua Lipa, Ed Sheeran, Coldplay, and even opening for Taylor Swift, Griff proudly presents her debut album, ‘Vertigo’.

I’m not someone who listens to pop on the daily, and when I do, it’s songs that came out at least ten years ago. My only exception is Griff. You’ve seen what I’ve reviewed before and they’re far from pop (pop-punk doesn’t count). So, you’re probably wondering why I’m reviewing ‘Vertigo'. Griff has had a place in my heart since I discovered her four years ago. Her debut mixtape became a staple in my listening habits and was the first CD I had in my car. Not to bring the mood down so early in the review but her music has seen me through the darkest and roughest moments of my life. I do want to fully disclose that music is subjective. The way I feel and relate to her songs may be (and most likely is), different to how you feel and relate. So, this review isn’t going to be all sappy and I’m not going to go into detail about how much (because it was a lot) or why I’ve cried to some (if not all) of the songs.

Anyways, let’s begin with the album’s first song and its namesake ‘Vertigo’. The opening builds us in with a bubbly, swirling feel, like we’re underwater rising to the surface. This swirling feeling carries on throughout the song (kind of like having vertigo). The chorus’ lyrics uses metaphors to describe the various fears and avoidance behaviour surrounding the emotional experiences and commitments that come with relationships. ‘Vertigo’ is quite a low and moody song, giving the same feeling as ‘Black Hole’, the song that opened her debut mixtape. The bridge creates a rollercoaster incline feeling to see us into a mellow outro.

Like I said earlier, we’ve talked about Griff numerous times at HIVE. Fellow writer, Jake McFarlane, reviewed ‘Miss Me Too’ when it was released as a single. The song is about when a chapter ends and wanting and chasing to get that version of yourself back. Starting with a prominent beat that gets stronger when Griff starts to sing. The first half of the chorus has a feeling of being closed off, like she’s hiding away. The second half builds up a little like she’s blossoming, but the post-chorus is an explosion of sound and energy.

Compared to the first two tracks, ‘Into The Walls’ opens with a calm piano riff, a change to the electronic beats we’ve heard so far. This riff gives a warm and cosy feeling. The percussion joining in adds a solid back beat and gives the song a groovy touch. The instruments alone and the tune playing reminded me a lot of Bruce Springsteen’s ‘I’m On Fire’. Exploring themes of wanting to disappear and stepping away from the pressures and interactions of daily life, watching life go by and choosing to disappear instead as a measure of emotional self-care is something I think a lot of people can relate to.

‘19th Hour’ is a build-up track. Opening with soft and distant vocals, then the introduction of lyrics with Griff’s vocals ranging higher as we go, and with the background sounds layering up throughout the verse. I love the strong and dominant percussion in this song. When discussing the making of ‘19th Hour’, Griff said “The song’s essentially about the words “I love you” being almost the most hurtful thing you can say when you say it as a last resort. You’re not saying, “I’m sorry” or you’re not saying, “I love you” because you mean it, you’re saying it in the 19th hour, right at the last minute, just because you want to patch things over or you want to forget about it, or you just want to get through the night or something”. The name is a take on the phrase eleventh hour, which means that it’s the latest possible time to do something before it’s too late.

Things are slowed right down for ‘Astronaut’. Originally, this song sounded totally different, it was a lot more dancey and electronic. That was until Chris Martin (yes, Chris Martin of Coldplay), heard it. “I’d produced ‘Astronaut’ and written it 100% by myself,” Griff said in a statement. “He [Martin] really got stuck in. We listened to maybe 30 of my songs together, but he kept stopping ‘Astronaut’. Chris advised me to strip it all back and keep things simple, so I had the cheek to ask him to play on it himself and I am so honoured he agreed.” This was a good move as the song being in a stripped back, raw, basically acoustic state makes it feel a lot more vulnerable, giving the lyrics more impact. Speaking of lyrics, the song talks about being in a relationship where one person feels the need to leave and rediscover themselves, while the other grapples with the heartache of being apart and the desire to make things right. I love “you said that you needed space, go on then, astronaut”. The clever use of the metaphor (our Griff loves a metaphor), of an astronaut to convey the other person's desire for freedom and exploration, both literally (space) and metaphorically (emotional space). It’s fun to sing this in a sassy, sarcastic way.

The backbeat of ‘Anything’ gives such 80’s synth vibes. The song gives an image of a relationship filled with emotional manipulation, one-sided love, and how it deeply affects self-perception. The strong dedication and ability to withstand suffering just to feel a brief connection highlights inner turmoil and the journey towards accepting the truth of the situation. The song is energetic, but it also gives a feeling of wanting to huffy stomp and sing along, especially with the backbeat and the drum fills. You know the film ‘The Holiday’ featuring Jack Black, Kate Winslet, Cameron Diaz and Jude Law? Remember the scene where Cameron Diaz’s character is singing ‘Mr Brightside’ by The Killers? This song is my ‘Mr Brightside’.
Something that must be mentioned is that there is a difference with the physical album release and the streaming album release. With the streaming release, the opening synths drag out a bit more. There are a few differences throughout the song, but the main noticeable difference is in the bridge and then the remainder of the song. In the physical release, the bridge has continuous vocals into an explosive ending chorus. However, in the streaming release, the main vocals come in and out, and the melody of the vocals are more in a defeated tone.

‘Pillow In My Arms’ follows the theme of grief that comes when losing a loved one, and the use of a pillow as a combat to loneliness. Like the lyrics say, “I dance / With a pillow in my arms / Oh, as if it has a heartbeat/ Oh, as if it was your body”, the pillow represents the person's body, providing comfort and a sense of closeness. Behind the main vocals, there is an impactful backbeat supported by solid drum fills and grooves.

At the beginning of ‘Cycles’, there is a faint click that is present throughout the song, which is accompanied with what sounds like morse code. There is a synth that crescendos and stops, but towards the end of the verse it crescendos again but leads into the chorus. This, and the melody of the vocals in the chorus gives a circling and spiralling feeling. There are elements of distorted and chopped vocals, and vocoder vocals, and because of this, the song could be classed as hyperpop adjacent (don’t hate me if I’m wrong). I like how the backbeat turns into a heartbeat during the last chorus. That crescendo that has been cut off so many times in this song finally gets its full cycle, building up and then is brought back down. The end does sound like it could segue into ‘Vertigo’ (thought I wouldn’t bring up a segue didn’t you), but that song was at the start of the album. That crescendo that has been cut off so many times in this song finally gets its full cycle, building up and then is brought back down.

Though it wasn’t a direct segue, the start of ‘Tears For Fun’ sounds like the synth cycle we had in the previous song rebooting up. Leading straight in with the chorus, Griff is accompanied by a choir on the even lines, giving it more impact. Like ‘19th Hour’, this is a build-up track, and has even bigger build-ups. It’s quite cinematic if I’m honest. The choir comes and goes, there’s massive drum beats, and a dance inducing outro. Though this is such an up-beat track, its lyrics explore emotional suffering and inner struggle, with the glimmering hope of recovery.

The plucking at beginning of ‘Hiding Alone’ brought me back to the beginning of ‘Black Hole’. The song features a real groovy guitar riff with support of percussion adding to the groove more. The instrumental composition did sort of remind me of something The 1975 would write. Though the lyrics talk about finding emotional shelter and comfort in another, and the struggle to cope when it’s no longer presence, it’s really hard to not to have a boogie.

'Hole In My Pocket’ feels like it could have been on 'One Foot in Front of the Other’. I’m not saying that it’s basic or old news in comparison to the other massive tracks on this album, but rather that it beautifully echoes Griff’s early production style. The clever use of the metaphor of a hole in her pocket serves as symbolism for the experience of watching valuable things slip away and having no control of it, creating feelings of regret and personal introspection.

The way ‘Everlasting’ has been produced, with a slightly echoed effect over Griff’s vocals, the distorted and muffled vocal underlayers, and the rough audio clip, it feels  very dream like.

Like ‘Astronaut’, ’So Fast’ is a raw, intimate and basically acoustic song. Soft guitar notes work in a harmonious union with Griff’s melodic vocals. This song has a country/folk feeling, like it wouldn’t feel out of place if it was sung around a campfire. Most of the song is at the same level, with some mild dips. But there’s parts that rise in emphasis, with airy and echoed vocals joining Griff. While on the road for her first headlining tour earlier this year, she gave fans a preview of this song while standing on a flight case in the middle of the crowd halfway through the show. Just a girly and her guitar in a sea of adoring fans, making it feel so much more intimate. I was lucky enough to catch one of these shows, and I was lucky enough to be stood an inch away from said flight case. Think the studio version is a tear jerker? Wait till you hear it live.

Previously, we’ve had a few stripped back songs, but ‘Where Did You Go’ takes it to a new level. A song of just vocals, with use of vocoder and dashes of synths to create the layers. About someone going missing in your life, the use of having vocals alone adds to the impact of the lyrics.

This debut album has taken her on new creative heights while keeping her original, hands-on approach. The lyrics remain deeply personal and genuine, reflecting her emotions and experiences with honesty (and clever metaphors which I love). Griff said, “every song has been written from an emotional sense of vertigo - that dizzy upside sensation that heartache often leaves you with”, and you know what, it does. The whole album is a rollercoaster of ups and downs, and there is a song that can be applicable to listen to at any stage of heartbreak. Even though she is young, Griff has achieved massive things so far, setting a solid base for a promising future. What she has accomplished up to now is only the start, showing just a fraction of the (already growing) success she will achieve in the future.