We follow Gal Musette as she sails "Into The Blue" and beyond

Photography by Anna Azarov

Grace Freeman, a singer-songwriter from San Clemente, California, has been writing and performing her own music since she was 10 years old, winning over a large following across Southern California thanks to her melodic and undeniably catchy Indie-Folk Sound. Freeman's artist name, 'Gal Musette', is inspired by bal-musette, a French waltz-like genre of music centered around the accordion, however, her actual style is more based upon songwriters such as Joni Mitchell, Regina Spektor, Björk, Cocteau Twins, Burt Bacharach, Big Thief, and The Cure.

At the age of 14, Freeman was inspired by The Magnetic Fields' triple album 69 Love Songs to record her own collection of 70 love songs. This project caught the attention of the band, and she was invited to open for them on a few of their Midwestern U.S. tour dates.

Gal's latest release is called "Into The Blue", a candy-sweet indie rock proposal that jaunts its way right into your heart with its bells and horse-trot riff. Without a doubt one of the most uplifting and optimistic sounds I've heard all year.

"Into The Blue" is "about letting go of all the expectations I clung on so tightly to, and attempting to break the delusional patterns of my mind, self-loathing and narrow-minded thinking. The catharsis of realizing the lack of control I have even over my own mind."

The song is incredibly rich, making use of a very wide palette of sounds and instruments, incorporating even a bit of a theremin here and there In a slightly psychedelic and warm role that is definitely an underappreciated and rare-heard aspect of the device.

"sunshine grips my limbs on his fishing hook. I tried to be light, but I outgrew larger than my width, larger than my height."

All of that melodic richness is at the service of something which I can only describe as lyrical brilliance, another virtue that will surely see Gal set in stone as creative to be greatly respected.

"Je vois le ciel", "Plateau", "Moment", and "Into the Blue" are songs leading up to Gal Musette's forthcoming album Pendulum to be released this summer.

MEET THE AUTHOR

Samuel Aponte is Venezuelan-born raised and based.

I joined Rival Magazine after a few years of doing PR work for independent musicians of all stripes; understanding their struggles to be heard in a sea of constant ADHD noise and paywalled access to platforms, I now bring a willingness to always appreciate and encourage the effort and creativity that artists put into their work. Can also find some of my writings on LADYGUNN and We Found New Music.