Melbourne-based singer, songwriter, producer and accomplished stage actor Grace Cummings has released a new single and music video for “Up In Flames,” from her forthcoming, self-produced sophomore album. Storm Queen will be released on January 14th on ATO Records, and follows Cummings’ understated debut album Refuge Cove, which was released in 2019 via King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard’s Flightless Records. “I wrote this song on the day Notre Dame burned down. I like that I can trace this song back to the exact day with a little time stamp like that,” says Cummings of the new single. “It reminded me of a time I remember very well, standing on the sand at Jan Juc Beach looking into the ocean. Every wave that came in to the shore was thick and black. I went and looked closer at the water and it was full of scorched gum leaves.”

True to its title, Storm Queen is a body of work with its own unruly climate, governed only by the visceral quality of Cummings’ spellbinding and devastating vocal presence, as heard on stage opening for the likes of Weyes Blood, Evan Dando, J Mascis and more. With most songs captured within the first few takes and featuring unexpected flourishes by Cummings’ peers in Melbourne, Storm Queen showcases a vast and volatile emotional landscape from one of the most captivating folk artists to enter the scene in years. “Up In Flames,” follows the earlier release of album single / video “Heaven.”

In the making of Storm Queen, Cummings reinforced the self-possessed naturalism at the heart of her artistry, ultimately distilling her vision down to its most elemental essence. “In the past there were times when I’ve let other people’s opinions affect me too much,” she says. “But with this record I learned that I’m allowed to influence myself instead of taking in anyone else’s ideas. I learned to completely trust what I see and hear in my head, and I stuck with that and just focused on creating what I love the most: something real and raw and ugly and beautiful.”

Photo Courtesy: Gil Gilmour