February 14, 2025 |
Somewhere between celestial and cinematic, Mallrat’s music hovers in its own dreamlike orbit – where she quite literally stands like the man on the moon, watching her musical world unfold below. Ethereal yet grounded, she conjures soundscapes that hit with a gravity that lingers. A voice wrapped in angelic reverb, beats pulsing with late-night fluorescence, melodies streaking across a dashboard – this is the sonic world she crafts, and once again, she’s inviting us in.
Today, the Brisbane-born artist unveils her sophomore album, Light Hit My Face Like a Straight Right. Breathing in the quiet magic of everyday life and exhaling something transcendent, it follows Butterfly Blue – the record that saw her evolve beyond bedroom pop into something more expansive, more cinematic and more immersive. This time, Mallrat turns her gaze outward, capturing moments of clarity and chaos, love and loneliness – all wrapped in a sound that is both sentimental and cinematic. “There’s something holy about those moments,” she says in a press release. “It’s the unexpectedness, the suddenness.”
Pavement, an early favourite of Mallrat’s, was built in collaboration with Buddy Ross (Frank Ocean, Miley Cyrus, Bon Iver) and longtime producer Styalz Fuego. One of the artist’s latest singles, it’s a hazy blend of misty electronica and club-ready grit, masterfully stitching together Cub Sport’s Beg U and DJ Zirk’s Born 2 Lose into a track that feels both intimate and expansive. Its accompanying video, directed by Tom Carroll, continues the album’s visual universe – rain-soaked cityscapes, surreal CGI creatures and the neon glow of a world Mallrat has made entirely her own.
Another standout, Hocus Pocus, proves equally spellbinding in both sound and visuals. Imagine glowing unicorns, pink lightning and lyricism casting a spell that leaves you, in the words of Mallrat, literally “falling for a hocus pocus.”
To celebrate the album’s release, we caught up with Mallrat to dive into the magic behind the music, the moments that made it all click and what’s next in her ever-enchanting world.
1. Hi Mallrat! What’s the story behind the name?
Grace was taken and I wanted something that gave the impression of a band of grubby, smelly boys.
2. Do you have a favourite track and if so which one is it and why?
At the moment its track one and two – My Darling, My Angel and Pavement.
3. You grew up in Brisbane, Australia – favourite thing about Brisbane?
There’s a mini Eiffel Tower in Brisbane and underneath it is an Italian restaurant. There’s also a tall building in South Brisbane called Stefan’s Needle and Stefan is a local celebrity who owns a chain of hairdressers.
4. Least favourite thing about Brisbane?
Gotta be the racism.
5. Where’s one place people have to visit when they go to Brisbane?
West End is my favourite part of town! Lots of cute vintage stores and yummy food and coffee.
6. You’ve got a few tattoos – do you have a favourite and if so, what is it?
I really love the butterfly on my hand and the ‘Unicorn in Captivity’ on my belly. They are both by Harley Jones who is very talented and has designed a lot of my merch.
7. Post-show night out or straight to sleep?
Lately I have been in a naughty mood so night out.
8. What’s your ideal Sunday?
Laying by the pool and having some yummy drinks with my friends!
9. Who was on your Spotify Wrapped last year?
Number one was Addison Rae’s Diet Pepsi. Love that girl.
10. What is coming up for you post LP release that fans can get excited about?
Tour! I would love to see you there!
Photography courtesy of Mallrat.
