The conclusion of Sabrina Carpenter’s “Short n’ Sweet” tour in November has sparked a sense of reminiscence. Some clips that have circulated after the end of the tour are not just of Carpenter herself, but of Olivia Dean, who has been opening for Carpenter and whose songs have become fan favorites over the past few months.
In that vein, as the tour wraps up, I want to go back and look at Griff, one of the openers from the previous leg of Carpenter’s tour and her 2024 album “Vertigo.”
Griff, whose full name is Sarah Faith Griffiths, first came into the limelight when she opened for Carpenter at the “Short n’ Sweet” tour in 2024. Her hit single “last night’s mascara” has gained almost 41 million streams on Spotify and she has since added opening for both Taylor Swift and Gracie Abrams to her resume. Griff’s album “Vertigo,” released in July 2024, has a song for almost every mood.
The title track serves as the album’s opening track. “Vertigo” is about being scared of commitment and Griff being on the other side of that. The song is a response to the person experiencing that fear with Griff asking, “You’re scared of love, well, aren’t we all?”
The album opener has an air of introspection as Griff explores the feeling of accepting and processing her past experiences. The vocals during the opening lines and chorus feel hazy and surreal, as if we are slowly fading into the world that Griff is creating. The song’s purpose is to introduce all the themes being presented throughout the rest of the album. and Griff, in a way, has brought us into her world.
Similarly, the song “Miss Me Too” discusses reminiscing about the past. It revolves around the concept of reflecting on a past relationship, a theme common across all genres in today’s music. Griff puts a unique spin on it as she talks about missing how she used to be during that time instead of missing the other person. The repetition of the phrase “I miss …” throughout the song emphasizes this desperation to go back to these times.
While the lyrics are melancholy, the upbeat backing track gives the impression that those happy memories are the same ones Griff is trying to chase. This contrast makes this track an interesting one and different from a lot of mainstream pop music.
“19th Hour” is the first song on the album where we hear Griff’s lower register, full of power and raw emotion. The phrase refers to how the other person in this relationship only chooses to say “I love you” during the late hours of the night.
In the song, Griff dives into the feelings of sadness and anger as she looks back on this bond she used to have with someone special. The main line of the chorus, “When ‘I love you’ starts to lose its power / You only say it on the 19th hour,” shows that there’s a moment of realization that comes with recognizing that pattern and coming to terms with how this important person in your life might not be genuine in caring for you. Although a painful topic, it can be relatable to many.
In her song “Astronaut,” Griff talks about someone needing space creates a picture of someone drifting away into the nothingness. In the song “Hole In My Pocket,” she takes a mundane event in someone’s day, such as losing loose change, and compares it to losing more substantial things in life, such as human connection.
While the entirety of the album revolves around different stages of the same experience that is life, “Vertigo” feels anything but repetitive. Different songs carry different feelings, from sadness to grudging acceptance, and some of those songs can even feel upbeat at times. We get to see the clear journey that Griff wants us to go on; the way she created a world of her own has also created a cohesive album that anyone going through any kind of loss can relate to.
This album turns feelings of anger and sadness into something positive. Griff’s lyrics paint aesthetically pleasing pictures that almost make it seem like going through loss can be beautiful.
Erin Bejasa can be reached at [email protected].
