Griff’s debut full-length is fourteen distinctly polished pop moments, but its sheen doesn’t take away from its heart, which Vertigo delivers in spades. Rather than feeling like an introduction—Griff has the devoted fans, the pop royalty co-signs, the sellout shows, and the talent that an introduction is hardly necessary—Vertigo instead feels like a moment. It’s easy to imagine looking back in a few years and being transported back by the distinctive ‘right now’ that Griff’s captured as she chronicles where she’s at in glorious, soaring singalongs.
Griff’s vocals are magnetic, with storytelling and emotion injected into every syllable, and her swooning sincerity is at perfect odds with the instrumental, which is flawlessly produced with not a kick or reverb out of place. She sings about ubiquitous coming-of-age struggles: painful breakups, finding yourself in their wake, wallowing in the suffering, and emerging better and victorious. So many artists err more on the side of the diaristic to bring these sorts of stories to life, describing precise images and kitchen-sink vignettes for listeners to picture, but Griff goes the other way to great effect. Her lyrics are larger-than-life, anthemicising every second of the drama to exorcise it.
Highlight ‘Tears for Fun’ is self-aware and sparkling in how it plays up its hopeless nihilism; ‘Miss Me Too’ is teen-movie-ready, all expansive synths and stratospheric lyrics; everywhere, dancefloor beats and glowing instrumentals are the backdrop to the most desolate of feelings. These are songs to escape into with enough heart that you can still feel your feelings while you’re dancing.
But by contrast, when Griff dials it down, the effects are heart-wrenchingly gorgeous. The rougher vocal cuts on ‘Everlasting’ are stomach-sinkingly evocative as Griff pleads and promises to try and keep a relationship afloat, and the outro of ‘Pillow In My Arms’ is similarly raw, but is sandwiched between the bouncy, pristine dance-pop of most of the song and sparky follow-up ‘Cycles’. The contrast between the two is emotional whiplash, and it heightens both extremes.
Imogen Heap-tinged closer and highlight ‘Where Did You Go’ is every bit as absorbing and powerful as its spiritual predecessor, ‘Hide and Seek’ (Vertigo was partially developed at Heap’s Hideaway recording studio as well—more support from icons!). If Griff hadn’t already comfortably cemented her spot in the contemporary pop canon with Vertigo, she would have stormed it.
Vertigo’s standout tracks
- ‘Tears for Fun’: Self-aware and sparkling, this track plays up its hopeless nihilism beautifully.
- ‘Miss Me Too’: Teen-movie-ready with expansive synths and stratospheric lyrics.
- ‘Everlasting’: Rougher vocal cuts make this track evocatively emotional.
- ‘Pillow In My Arms’: Balances bouncy dance-pop with raw, heart-wrenching moments.
- ‘Where Did You Go’: Absorbing and powerful, this closer echoes Imogen Heap’s influence.
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