Griff - 'Astronaut'
Nearing the end of 2023 has seen one of the most unexpected collaborations to date, and even as a fan of Griff, I could never have envisioned this coming. But I guess, in a way, one of the universe’s unanswered questions has indeed been answered – what happens when you mix one of Britian’s pop-princess rising stars with already-established pop royalty?
“Astronaut” sees Coldplay’s Chris Martin take a break from his recent venture into ecstatic bubbly-pop cuts (as seen in overwhelming numbers on 2021’s “Music Of The Spheres”), and sit back and ponder in pure ballad-esque bliss. Released at almost too-perfect a time, the track almost feels like it could be a Christmas song (by instrumentation alone), with delicate, lent pianos, soaring harmonics and Griff’s lush vocals.
Heartbreak and longing spills out in a heartstring-tugging narrative that sees Griff loving-and-letting-go taken at its literal, bidding her “Astronaut” farewell – if its space that he needs so much (“Bet I'll be the one you call // When you realise there's nothing out there // But matter and emptiness // And you let a good thing go”). “Astronaut” is a completely raw and stripped back offering from Griff and sits in complete juxtaposition to the tracks that made her name (“Black Hole”), and this new direction suits her flawlessly.
With “Astronaut” we see the completion of “vert1go vol.1”, and Griff making a late but compelling case for track of the year.
Words by Lana Williams
