Following her debut mixtape One Foot in Front of the Other (2021) and her BRITs Rising Star Award win in 2021, singer-songwriter Griff (Sarah Griffiths) has had a steady rise to fame, becoming a supporting act for Dua Lipa, Coldplay, and recently Taylor Swift on The Eras Tour. After years of writing and producing her music in her bedroom, the British artist harnesses all of her self-doubt, heartaches, and potential into debut album Vertigo, released July 12, 2024 under Warner Records. The 14-track alt-pop album navigates Griff’s roller-coaster of emotions after entering the music industry and heartbreak with its dreamy lyricism and folk/R&B influences.
Opening with the title track “Vertigo,” Griff places the album’s intensity and weariness into the song’s existential crisis surrounding her unprecedented rise to fame. Polished by its layered synths, the song’s emotional production and honest songwriting prepare listeners for the remaining dynamic 13 tracks. “You’re scared of heights, that’s vertigo / You wanted lights, go see a show / You ran away, that’s touch and go / You’re scared of love, well, aren’t we all?” Exploring more of this new chapter of life, the second track, “Miss Me Too,” touches on missing the younger version of yourself while continuing on with life after a devastating breakup. “Then I fell apart in a foreign place / And all I wanna do is find a way back to you / ‘Cause I miss me, I miss me too.”
Featuring Chris Martin from Coldplay on piano, “Astronaut”‘s delicate chords and Griff’s soothing vocals instantly grab listeners’ attention. The song’s sad, slow tempo and storytelling lyricism on rejection allow more insight into Griff’s life. “I hope you find all you need, yeah / It hurts to know that’s not me ’cause / You said you needed space / Go on then, astronaut.” On “Cycles,” the singer exhausts herself with endless anxieties about how she’s trapped in the pain of heartbreak and loss. This restlessness reveals the bittersweet perspective of discovering herself over a shining house track.
The mood shifts on track nine, “Tears For Fun,” with its 80s pop influences and hard-hitting rhythms. The exhilarating outro showcases the singer’s powerful honey-like vocals: “When it kills your heart but you can’t say no / When it burns red but you won’t let go / The deepest cuts, well, they heal so slow.” Eventually, the album simmers down again on “So Fast,” a reflective folk song where Griff struggles to put herself back in the dating scene. “How long we been alone? / I couldn’t tell you, but my drink’s running low / I couldn’t tell you, but it feels like I know you,” she sings.
Closing track, “Where Did You Go,” begins as a mournful message to an important person in the singer’s life— “And I handed out posters around the town / Hyperventilating on the underground / And I asked every stranger to listen out / For you” —before switching perspectives and telling the story of Griff leaving instead. “I think we both know / That I’m not yours anymore,” she sings at the end. “Oh, so where did I go?” Ending the album on this melancholic note, the singer hones in the emotional roller-coaster of heartbreak through the track’s elegant production and effortless lyrics. Griff’s pop-perfection debut, Vertigo, centers itself on the whirlwind journey of self-discovery and the ever-changing lifestyle of the music industry. Carried by its remarkable production and demanding vocals, the album refuses to conclude with an easy-to-swallow solution, leaning into its dizzying namesake.
