‘Runners’ / ‘A Vacuum Is My Breath’ is the debut double single out today from British composer, producer and artist Louis Grace, based between London and Paris. Best known for his work with Legss and Nukuluk, and for performing alongside Kaeto, Tiberius B, Lowertown and Sarah Meth, this release marks the beginning of an ambitious new solo project.
Written, performed, produced and mixed entirely by Grace, the two tracks introduce a distinctive sound world that combines experimental audio techniques, lo-fi textures and unconventional production with a strong pop sensibility. Drawing from his background as a composer, Grace approaches songwriting with meticulous attention to detail and is sonically adventurous.
‘Runners’ has been described by Grace as “an indirect love song for a friend who grew up in suburban South West London”, ‘Runners’ explores adolescence, fear, vulnerability and belonging through a celebration of insecurity. The track’s heavily manipulated modular vocal, an eerie, almost childlike presence floats above a delicate acoustic guitar. The contrast creates an unsettling yet strangely comforting atmosphere, like a lullaby in a somewhat uncanny dream. As Grace’s natural voice enters, the song shifts into increasingly experimental territory, layering distorted harmonies, fragmented choirs and unexpected textures.
Featuring contributions from Max Winter and Mateo Vilanueva Brandt, ‘Runners’ embraces chaos and unpredictability while remaining deeply personal. The song’s constantly evolving production showcases Grace’s imagination and compositional precision, hinting at the many directions that his solo work could take in the future.
‘A Vacuum Is My Breath’ contrasts ‘Runners’ fragmented and exploratory sound and instead unfolders with a slower, more cinematic intensity. Grace describes the song as being “about paranoia and breaking free of that through finding authenticity, leading us to a place that feels like freedom.”
Built around melancholic guitar and carefully arranged strings, the track moves with the pace of an internal monologue, following a narrator wandering through a city while wrestling with intrusive thoughts. Grace’s understated vocal delivery allows the instrumentation to carry much of the emotional weight, with angelic harmonies gradually expanding the song’s emotional sphere.
As the track develops into a powerful and dramatic climax, we are manoeuvred into a territory where introspection develops into an overwhelming longing for reconciliation and the repeated call for someone, or a lost version of oneself to “come back home”.
Photo by Elise Dervichian
The new issue of So Young is out now. Buy in print here. Read the digital edition below. Subscribe to receive every issue here.