Grace Cummings – Bloodhorse!
Lauded Australian singer-songwriter Grace Cummings has released “Bloodhorse!,” the title track from her upcoming album Bloodhorse! set for release this Friday, August 14th, via ATO Records.
“Bloodhorse!” follows last month’s release of arresting track “FAKE” and marks the final offering from the album ahead of its release. The powerful track continues to develop the album’s themes of power, abuse and escape with a focus on Grace’s captivating vocals. It arrives alongside a simplistic yet theatrical music video directed by Tori Styles.
On the track, Cummings shares: “‘Bloodhorse’ is an archaic term thoroughbred racehorse that is expected to win. They’re extremely temperamental, full of anxious energy. They are powerful, and sometimes frightening, but they are also extremely vulnerable. When I go to sleep at night, I don’t rest. My eyes are shut but it’s like I’m waiting in the stalls, waiting, waiting. My dreams are full of nightmares. Nothing is calm. And as soon as I open my eyes, I start fucking running.
The lyrics to this song were inspired by a visit to a beauty clinic. I went for a facial, which was a gift to myself for my birthday, but the clinician gave me a mirror and told me to look in it and tell me what I didn’t like about myself. Everything, I thought, I hate everything. But I told him I didn’t like the way my brow was furrowed. He said to me: Grace, nobody needs to frown. He gave me botox, to take the frown away. I hated myself, but at least I’d look happier. I’d be a winner. But the thing is, I couldn’t move my face for the next three months.
When I felt something, it couldn’t come out, it felt trapped inside my face like so many other things trapped inside my head. When I cried, I couldn’t feel it come out of my body. And I hated it.”
After quietly building a fanbase in her native Australia with a string of impressive releases, Cummings garnered international attention when her third album, Ramona, earned widespread critical acclaim in 2024. Bloodhorse!, like its predecessor, was recorded in Topanga Canyon, California with GRAMMY-nominated producer Jonathan Wilson (Father John Misty, Angel Olsen, Margo Price). The album is focused on the process of escaping pain and entering a technicolor world of imagination and radical self acceptance.
Earlier this month, Cummings debuted album tracks while on a run of shows supporting Father John Misty in Europe, culminating with her own sold-out headline show at London’s The George Tavern. She heads to the U.S. this fall for a run of headline and festival dates, in addition to newly announced dates supporting Tyler Ballgame.
Bloodhorse!’s producer, Jonathan Wilson – recently nominated for a GRAMMY for his work on Father John Misty’s Chloe and the Next 20th Century – shares: “With Grace Cummings, you actually have a once in a generation voice. Everyone who hears her sing would agree with that. Beyond that, her songwriting and lyrical prowess is just getting better and better. I’m proud as punch of this new album. It’s a superb collection of songs that she delivers with humanity, power and emotion like no one else on earth.”
Upcoming Live Shows:
Friday, August 7 – Melbourne, AU The Croxton
Saturday, August 8 – Sydney, AU Metro Social
Sunday, August 9 – Brisbane, AU Old Museum
Monday, September 14 – Brooklyn, NY Music Hall of Williamsburg (w/ Tyler Ballgame)
Tuesday, September 15 – Philadelphia, PA MilkBoy
Wednesday, September 16 – Washington, DC DC9 Nightclub (w/ Tyler Ballgame)
Thursday, September 17 – Woodstock, NY Bearsville Theater (w/ Tyler Ballgame)
Saturday, September 19 – Boston, MA Brighton Music Hall (w/ Tyler Ballgame)
Sunday, September 20 – Manchester Center, VT Billsville House Concerts
Tuesday, September 22 – Ventura, CA Ventura Music Hall (w/ Rayland Baxter)
Wednesday, September 23 – Riverside, CA Farm House Collective (w/ Rayland Baxter)
Friday, September 25 – Torrey, UT Fort Desolation
Saturday, September 29 – Seattle, WA Sunset Tavern
Wednesday, September 30 – Portland, OR Polaris Hall
Friday, October 2 – Reno, NV Off Beats Arts & Music Fest
Saturday, October 3 – San Francisco, CA Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Festival
Monday, October 5 – Stinson Beach, CA Stinson Beach Community Church
Thursday, October 15 – Los Angeles, CA Lodge Room (w/ Tyler Ballgame)
Friday, October 16 – San Diego, CA Soda Bar (w/ Tyler Ballgame)
Saturday, October 17 – Phoenix, AZ Valley Bar (w/ Tyler Ballgame)
Sunday, October 18 – Santa Fe, NM Tumbleroot (w/ Tyler Ballgame)
Tuesday, October 20 – Denver, CO Globe Hall (w/ Tyler Ballgame)
Saturday, November 7 – Groningen, NL Take Root Festival
Monday, November 9 – Leeds, UK Book Club
Tuesday, November 10 – Glasgow, UK King Tut’s
Wednesday, November 11 – Manchester, UK YES Basement
Friday, November 13 – Brighton, UK Dust
Saturday, November 14 – London, UK Village Underground
Monday, November 16 – Ostend, BE Café De Zwerver
Tuesday, November 17 – Paris, FR Point Ephemere
Thursday, November 19 – Utrecht, NL Ekko
Friday, November 20 – Offenbach, DE Hafen 2
Sunday, November 22 – Copenhagen, DK Ideal Bar
Monday, November 23 – Hamburg, DE Nachtasyl
Tuesday, November 24 – Berlin, DE Neue Zukunft
Thursday, November 26 – Milan, IT Bellezza
Friday, November 27 – Geneva, CH TBA
#gracecummingsmusic