Mallrat Announces New Album Light Hit My Face Like a Straight Right

Brisbane-born multi-instrumentalist and performer Mallrat has announced her new album, Light Hit My Face Like a Straight Right, due February 14, 2025, on Nettwerk. She has shared the news with her newest single, Horses, an affecting and transporting song that distills themes of memory, reflection, and the complicated emotions of coming home.

‘Horses’: A Heartfelt Meditation on Home and Loss

Horses is a sensitive investigation into the touchstones that bind us to our past, marrying nostalgia with an acutely sharpened sense of the way in which time and distance pull us. The song reflects on how “coming” back home is going backward in time; Mallrat’s airy vocals add much-needed depth to its lyrical message. Her voice cracks with emotion as she sings, “Hey, I’m right here, I look different now,” anchoring the song in a place of vulnerability.

Mallrat reflects upon the creation of the song: “I made this song with my friend Alice Ivy. A lot of the lyrics are about going home and how alone that makes me feel. The first verse is about 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.

The raw intimacy of Horses is matched by its minimalist yet affecting production, threading influences from Hayley Williams to Radiohead. Co-writer and producer Alice Ivy describes the process: “We wrote Horses in my studio in Melbourne, with the doors open to a view of Merri Creek. The lyrics and melodies couldn’t feel more authentic to Grace [Mallrat]. It’s one of my favorite songs I’ve ever been a part of.”

A New Era of Artistic Expression

Light Hit My Face Like a Straight Right sees Mallrat’s artistic reach increase with vivid storytelling combined with an ethereal soundscape. Influenced by her suburban Brisbane upbringing, the album is steeped in magical realism, unveiling beauty in the mundane and unremarkable.

As Mallrat explains, “The music I love most captures a feeling or a time that words alone don’t do justice.” This ethos is embedded in the album’s 12 tracks, which delve into the mysteries of human connection and the intangible allure of light. Tracks like Hocus Pocus, Ray of Light, and The Light Streams In and Hits My Face showcase her knack for balancing cinematic imagery with introspective songwriting.

A Cohesive Vision for a Singular Talent

With Horses and previous singles Ray of Light and Hocus Pocus, Mallrat is priming listeners for an album that promises to be a masterclass in world-building and emotional resonance. Her unique ability to juxtapose the picturesque with the acerbic elevates Light Hit My Face Like a Straight Right as her most cohesive and ambitious project to date.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Mallrat (@lilmallrat)

Tracklist

1. My Darling, My Angel
2. Pavement
3. Something for Somebody
4. Virtue
5. Defibrillator
6. The Light Streams In and Hits My Face
7. Hocus Pocus
8. Hideaway
9. Love Songs-Heart Strings
10. Ray of Light
11. The Worst Thing I Would Ever Do
12. Horses

As Mallrat’s storytelling gets more incisive and production instincts sharper, Light Hit My Face Like a Straight Right cements her status as one of Australia’s most engaging contemporary artists. Due for release soon, it promises to be a record that is going to feel just as personal as it will be transportive.