Mallrat has long been one of pop’s great collagists. A true child of the internet, her music is a synthesis of her many eclectic influences (Lana, SOPHIE, Drain Gang). But even as she thrillingly combines references and genres, it’s her writing — always honest, always heartfelt — that has allowed her to rack up fans around the world. Since she began releasing music in the mid-2010s, she has collaborated with the likes of Azealia Banks, The Chainsmokers and notched big wins like accruing over 500 million streams and performing on late-night.
Her new album, Light hit my face like a straight right, is the culmination of her long road from bedroom artist to superstar. It’s a clear display of an artist at the peak of her curatorial abilities. Sample heavy, genre-expansive and always surprising, the new album shows Mallrat blending her ever present lyrical intimacy with production that feels as fresh and frenetic as ever. Songs like “Pavement” pair seemingly discordant samples together (“Born 2 Lose” by DJ Zirk and “Beg U” by Cub Sport) to create magic in the friction. On “Hocus Pocus” she creates a choreo-ready banger (that led her to “fracture [her] arm [while] dancing to the demo”) featuring lyrics that are unrelentingly diaristic.
To make the record, she brought together an all-star lineup of producers, including Casey MQ (fresh off producing Oklou’s recent breakout album), Frank Ocean collaborator Buddy Ross, Australia’s own Japanese Wallpaper, electronic music heavyweight Alice Ivy and many more. Each collaborator and writer brought their own energy and wisdom, but everything was filtered through Mallrat’s own beaming light.
With each song brimming with a bevy of references, samples and stories, there’s a lot to dig into in this dense and moving record. Lucky for us, Mallrat was kind enough to share a track-by-track reflection with PAPER.
My Darling, My Angel
There are a few secrets hidden in this track, and actually one of them is only for Irish people. I made this song with Chrome Sparks.
Pavement
I started this song in LA with Buddy Ross, who I have been a big fan of for a long time. He was really unwell the day that we were meant to work together and so I changed my flight back to Australia to be able to work with him on the rescheduled date. I’m so glad I did because this might be my favorite on the album. I brought it back to Melbourne and finished it with Styalz. I also love this song because there are two very contrasting samples in it. One of them is a DJ Zirk song called “Born 2 Lose” (you’ll hear this again on “Hocus Pocus”) and the other sample is of Cub Sport’s “Beg U”. Cub Sport are a band from my hometown, Brisbane and my best friends. I have been obsessed with “Beg U” since Tim from Cub Sport sent me the demo a few years ago. Tim and Sam from the band are married and their first dance was to a Buddy Ross song. So Pavement feels very full circle.
Something for Somebody
Lyrically this is the song on the album that I’m most proud of. I spent so many days tweaking and re-writing. I love disguising disturbed stories and messages in really sweet melodies and I think I did that in a really clever way here. (I don’t mind tooting my own horn sometimes).
Virtue
I have been obsessed with traditional Irish music for a while and it really influenced the melodies on this album. I showed Casey MQ my favorite Irish choir on YouTube, and then he showed me the song, which we then sampled on “Virtue,” which is “Butterfly” by Rajaton. Rajaton are actually Finnish but the way that they sing reminds me of Irish lilting. When I listen to this song I imagine dozens of little fairies possessing somebody and it’s unclear whether the fairies are good or evil. Also, I love that we managed to create a dusty, garagey breakbeat in the 3/4 time signature for this song.
The Light Streams In and Hits My Face
“And almost just to seal my fate the light streams in and hits my face!” I love when songs start with the word “and.” I also love the idea you can let your fate be decided by rays of light, and conversely, I love the idea that you could strategically sit in a room at a certain time when you know that light is about to stream through a window and make it look like a divine moment to whoever is around. The transition from this song to the next one is so satisfying.
Defibrillator
I started this song with Lonelyspeck, who is such a genius artist and producer from Adelaide. (They have a song called “My Angel Goes Before Me” which I think is very special and criminally slept on.) I then finished this one with Styalz who I work with regularly and am also obsessed with. I wasn’t sure that I wanted to put it on the album because it felt more emo than I usually allow myself to be. But my friend Ninajirachi (another Australian artist/ producer who I love) said it was her favourite, so I thought, Ok if Nina loves it then it has to be on the album!
Styalz and I sometimes talk about pushing interesting moments in a song to the point of being almost uncomfortable for the listener, and that’s a reason why the final chorus is a cappella for as long as it is.
Hocus Pocus
I fell over and fractured my arm dancing to this demo on a walk home. I couldn’t help but be excited! I had to wear a cast and a sling. When I was writing the pre-chorus section of this song I was thinking of the sharp inhale breaths as lyrics that needed their own moment, kind of like a punchline. A lot of the time in pop music, breaths are edited out and turned down, but they felt important here to me. You’ll also hear the DJ Zirk song “Born 2 Lose” sampled here again. I love that song and that it’s a tough through line in the album, alongside all of the ethereal vocal textures.
Hideaway
“I’ll be your lucky charm just let me hang around your neck!” In many ways, this reminds me of how I used to write lyrics when I first started making music. I can’t put my finger on why exactly, but it may be because it’s about having a crush. I started this one with Japanese Wallpaper and finished it with Styalz.
Love Songs/ Heart Strings
I really enjoyed creating these transitional interludes with Casey MQ. I want to go dancing and hear this on big club speakers.
Ray of Light
I often feel pulled in certain directions by invisible forces. I secretly suspect that it’s the work of heavenly angels, and sometimes I feel like an alien for these inexplicable knowings.
When I imagine this situation through the eyes of somebody who doesn’t know wide-eyed wonder, I think … these thoughts are, at worst, grounds to be admitted to the psych ward and, at best, an embarrassing cocktail of narcissism and delusion. Wait, I’m Not Crazy! I’m Locked In And Can Talk To Angels!
The second verse of this song talks about a golden orb. It’s the sun but it’s also a spider. Golden Orb Weaving spiders are ubiquitous in Brisbane (my home), and you can always spot them because their silk is a distinct yellow-gold color. When I was five, I discovered a new species of spider by chance, and it’s a type of orb-weaving spider, but not a golden orb. I made this song with Styalz. The beautifully reverb-y sections remind me of one of my favorite SOPHIE songs, called “Pretending I Give In (Let Go).”
The Worst Thing I Would Ever Do
I’m not saying what the thing is. But I really love this song. I made it in LA with my friend APOB. One day I’m going to make a whole shoegaze album, but for now this is my little shoegaze treat.
Horses
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.
Photography: Casey Garnsey