This is She’s history goes back to Warped Tour 2009, when Alana
Grace’s earlier solo project was playing the same stages as After
Midnight Project, which included members Ryan Folden (drums) and
Christian Paul Meadows (guitar). Grace found herself in need of a full
band in 2011 and enlisted Folden and Meadows following the dissolution
of After Midnight Project. Following a few months of writing and
recording, This Is She are ready to present their music to the world
at large with the Nobody Is Ok EP, which was recorded in a few months
in 2011 North Hollywood, CA, in the band’s own studio. This Is She
relish in that universal “dark side,” both in the themes of
Grace’s lyrics and in their musical style, which is a blend of
blissful pop, heavily-distorted rock music, and the bombast of modern
electronic dance music, all punctuated by Grace’s tortured, emotive,
and always-soaring vocals. Befitting of her own namesake, her lyrics
and melodies are delivered with an air of simple elegance; the very
definition of grace. Fuzzy bass lines, distorted guitars, propulsive
drumming and electronic textures swirl around and engulf her voice.
It’s positively disorienting, but Grace keeps the songs grounded
with her voice, acting like a glimmer of humanity and hope amongst a
decaying wasteland of explosive noise. Some songs incorporate
schizophrenic vocal samples that are entirely haunting before morphing
into intense, mechanized dubstep-inspired breakdowns that sound like a
Terminator’s interpretation of rock music. This is loud music; even
when it’s turned down, you’re unable to block it out. It could
never, ever be played as background music. Like Sleigh Bells or Public
Enemy, the beats of these songs lock into place and explode like bombs
while guitars come crashing down around you like high-rise buildings
in a Michael Bay blockbuster. Call it rock; call it dubstep; call it
action-packed blockbuster music; call it whatever you want, but
don’t think for one second that you will be able to ignore it.
Whether you like it or not, This Is She will have your attention.
