New York-based artist Grace Ives makes compact electro-pop songs imbued with pervasive melodies, lush stacks of vocal harmonies, and lyrics that touch on both profound questions and the anxieties of daily life. After several more roughly recorded releases, Ives' songs took on heightened production values with her 2022 album Janky Star.

Ives was born in New York and grew up in the Gowanus area of Brooklyn. While in college, she began making electronic music despite being part of a scene of friends and bands more involved with D.I.Y. punk- and guitar-based indie rock. Ives often opened shows for her friends' bands, eventually winning over fans with her synth pop songs inspired by 2000s R&B and millennial pop. Multiple self-released online tracks eventually led to releases like 2016's lo-fi EP Really Hot. In 2019, she issued 2nd, a brief album of speedy songs about parties, self-reflection, relationships, and other roaming thoughts. Ives' 2022 album Janky Star continued her increasingly nuanced songwriting style, but it achieved a more dynamic range of sounds and expressions with help from Charli XCX producer Justin Raisen. Ives and Raisen co-produced Janky Star, and the album met with instantaneous critical praise. ~ Fred Thomas