Grace Cummings Announces New Album 'Ramona'

Australian singer-songwriter Grace Cummings has released “On and On” the first single to be taken from her upcoming third album Ramona to be released April 5 via ATO Records.

Cummings has been quietly making a name for herself with a string of impressive releases, praised by the likes of The Guardian, Pitchfork, NPR Music and Billboard for her riveting, powerful voice and intense, blues-inflected songwriting. Ramona - her finest and most captivating work yet - was recorded in Topanga Canyon with acclaimed producer Jonathan Wilson (Angel Olsen, Father John Misty, Margo Price) puts Cummings' rich vocals and dramatic storytelling front and center.

Of the new album, which she was given early listening to by producer Jonathan Wilson, Angel Olsen says, “I remember feeling so activated and surprised by Grace's vocal capacity that I actually felt my body brace itself against the wall.”

Today's track release comes with an accompanying video featuring the singer bathed in amber light - directed by James Gorter.

Ramona is a work of raw truth rendered in its most beautiful form. In a departure from the self-produced approach of her 2019 debut Refuge Cove and its 2022 follow-up Storm Queen—the Melbourne-based artist dreamed up a lavishly orchestrated sound that fully accommodates the depth and scope of her vocal prowess. With its visceral reflection on grief and self-destruction and emotional violence, Ramona brings a stunning new grandeur to Cummings' music while refusing to soften or temper its humanity.

Recorded at Wilson's Fivestar Studios in Topanga Canyon, Ramona came to life in collaboration with a stacked lineup of musicians that includes harpist Mary Lattimore and string arranger/multi-instrumentalist Drew Erickson (Weyes Blood, Mitski, Lana Del Rey). “I wanted everything and the kitchen sink on this record, to make it as big and dramatic as possible and show a whole range of colors,” says Cummings.

“Jonathan and all the other musicians are so incredibly good at what they do, and so considered in their approach, but there was also a sense of fun and lightness in the studio that allowed me to be myself.” Featuring Cummings on guitar and piano and Wilson on guitar, drums, banjo, and organ, Ramona ultimately serves as a dazzling showcase for the voice once hailed byThe Guardian as “powerful enough to pound granite into dust.”

Also an accomplished stage actor, Cummings imbues all of Ramona with an unbridled theatricality—an element on glorious display in the album's title track. “I wrote that at a time when I wasn't doing well and had the sense that other people saw me as a weak little bird,” says Cummings, who mined inspiration from Bob Dylan's 1964 song “To Ramona.” “I didn't want to be myself so I decided to be Ramona instead, full of intensity and melodrama. For me there's a lot of safety in putting on a costume or a mask; sometimes it feels like the only way to express any true honesty or vulnerability.”

Cummings hopes that Ramona might provide her audience with a similar sense of relief and release. “A lot of the time the only way for me to process what's happening in my life is to write about it,” she says. “So it's a deeply personal record. But I hope that people come away from this album feeling like the songs were written just for them. Because they were, in a way. Watching the deeply personal evolve into something that's shared by so many different people makes me feel less lonely in this world."

UPCOMING TOUR DATES

Wed Feb 14 - Melbourne Recital Centre (Solo) (with Calexico) – Melbourne, AUS

Thu Feb 15 - Melbourne Recital Centre (Solo) (with Calexico) – Melbourne, AUS

Fri Feb 16 - Theatre Royal (Solo) (with Calexico) – Castlemaine, AUS

Fri Feb 23 – The Nightcat – Melbourne, AUS

Fri Mar 1 – Stranded Bar -– Brisbane, AUS

Sat Mar 2 – The Lansdowne – Sydney, AUS

Wed May 15 - Forest National - Brussels Belgium *

Thu May 16 – Stadthalle - Offenbach, Germany *

Sat May 18 - Forum Karlin - Prague, Czechia *

Sun May 19 - Arena Wien - Vienna, Austria *

Mon May 20 – Columbiahalle - Berlin, Germany *

Tue May 21 - Kantine am Berghain – Berlin, Germany

Thu May 23 - AFAS Live - Amsterdam, Netherlands *

Fri May 24 - 100 Club – London, United Kingdom

Sun May 26 – Olympia - Liverpool, United Kingdom *

Mon May 27 - Usher Hall - Edinburgh, United Kingdom *

Wed May 29 - Civic Halls - Wolverhampton, United Kingdom *

Thu May 30 - Bristol Beacon - Bristol, United Kingdom *

Fri May 31 - Brighton Dome - Brighton, United Kingdom *

Sun Jun 2 - Maifeld Derby – Mannheim, Germany

Mon Jun 3 - Import Export – Munich, Germany

Tue Jun 4 - Unaltrofestival @ Circolo Magnolia - Milan, Italy *

Fri Jun 7 - La Boule Noire – Paris, France

Wed Jun 12 – Bergenfest – Bergen, Norway

*King Gizzard Support

Photo Credit: Tajette O'Halloran

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