Some albums are about a breakup. Gretta Ray's new one is about a breakup, a hospital bed, and the slow work of getting your life back. Heartsong, the Australian singer-songwriter's new album, is out October 30: 12 songs, 49 minutes, and a lot of hard-won hope.
The story behind it
In 2024, coming off the success of her 2023 album Positive Spin, Ray had moved to London to chase international opportunities. Then she was struck by a rare, life-threatening infection affecting the inner lining and valves of her heart. She spent six weeks in a London hospital, unsure of her future, before returning to her family home in Melbourne to recover. As she told Apple Music, she grieved what might have been a permanent pause to her music career, and eventually the long-term relationship that the illness also claimed.
The songs came fast. "I've always turned to songwriting for comfort, or to make sense of something," Ray told Apple Music. "But I've never had it be so powerful in terms of how much these songs spilled out of me, and they were so matter-of-fact."
The songs to start with
The title track is the place to begin. Ray wrote it on the one-year anniversary of being admitted to hospital, as a letter to her past self. "Essentially like, 'You're about to have a horrendous time, but it's going to be okay,'" she explained.
"Partner in Crime" is the breakup song, though Ray describes it as more than that. She wanted to tell the story of how she and her partner "had come undone" without any resentment, acknowledging how hard the circumstances were. "It's a breakup song, but in so many ways it's also a love song," she said.
"Turn Off My Music" might be the most relatable song on the record for anyone who has lost a version of themselves. Ray wrote it after summer hangouts where friends played her songs, which only reminded her of the life she felt she had lost. "Coming Up for Air" captures the first small moments of relief, knowing another wave might come, but that "the storm would pass eventually."
Then there is the second half of the story. "Please Be Gentle with Me" is about letting someone new in when you still feel fragile, and "Lucky (In My Life)" is about the strange gift of ordinary days. "There were so many times when I was in such a bad way that I dreamed of things feeling normal and mundane," Ray said. "So 'Lucky' is just about what a privilege it is to feel like there's a sense of rhythm in your life."
Why it's a good one for right now
There is something reassuring about an album where you can hear someone come out the other side of a hard year. If you have had your own version of one, whether it was health, a breakup or just a season that knocked you flat, Heartsong is good company. Put it on for a long walk or a drive home and give the title track a few plays before you skip ahead to "Lucky."
Where to listen
Heartsong is out October 30 on Apple Music and other streaming platforms. More from Ray at grettaray.com.
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