Mallrat emphatically announces her new album, Light hit my face like a straight right out on February 14, 2025, with her latest transportive listen, ‘Horses’. LISTEN + WATCH HERE + PRE-SAVE/PRE-ORDER LP HERE.

‘Horses’ speaks to the time capsule certain landmarks hold, and the sensations they trigger amongst the alternate perspectives that travelling home represents. Remarking on the act of ‘coming’ back to your roots, or ‘going’ backwards in time. Hindsight, reflection, memory poignantly culminating in Mallrat’s voice cracking when she sings “Hey, I’m right here, I look different now.”

In her own words, “I made this song with my friend Alice Ivy. A lot of the lyrics on this song are about going home and how alone that makes me feel. The first verse is describing catching the train home from school with my little sister Olivia. She has passed away since I wrote this song and so it really makes me miss her.”

Threading notes of Hayley Williams to Radiohead, the power of ‘Horses’ lies in its stark but affective restraint. A mastery of space, gripped by vivid narrative and tender aura, written after a trip back to Brisbane that left Mallrat “feeling like an alien.” While revelling in the intimate has always lied in her sound, ‘Horses’ convergence of minimalism is a distinct elevation for Mallrat.

Co-written/produced with Alice Ivy, who shares “Mallrat is one of the most talented songwriters in the country, and ‘Horses’ is one of my favourite songs I’ve ever been a part of. We wrote ‘Horses’ together at my studio in Melbourne with the doors open to a view of Merri Creek. The lyrics and melodies and everything about ‘Horses’ couldn’t feel more authentic to Grace, it’s just so special. Stoked that it’s out in the world.”

Light hit my face like a straight right is born from a world of magical realism in Australian suburbia. Perpetually influenced by her time growing up in Brisbane – a capital city more closely likened to a big country town than metropolis – Mallrat consistently seeks out (real or imaginary) magic in the otherwise ugly and everyday, a means to understand the people and world around her. For Grace Shaw, the music she loves most captures a feeling or time that words alone don’t do justice.

The record isn’t abstract or tied to didactic stories, Light hit my face like a straight right is its own inherent being. Twelve songs explore the intangible and mysterious allure of human connection, held together by curious investigations into light. Mallrat’s instinct breaking new artistic ground underpins the record throughout. A bold step into the art of world-building, bolstered by her intuitive songwriting and clever, studied production.

Priming her forthcoming album with ‘Horses’, ‘Ray of Light’ and ‘Hocus Pocus‘, Mallrat’s astute balance of the picturesque with the acerbic and knack for unearthing gems from the rubble of human connections sets Light hit my face like a straight right as an all new cohesive statement for a creative at the top of her game.