It’s almost natural for any music lover to get a bit thrown off when their favorite artist comes out with a new sound. While fans realize that their faves can’t sing the same songs forever, when a new album drops, they’re looking for a familiar yet shiny fix. I love Grimes. The shrilled, siren-like vocals layered behind dreamy synths give me heart eyes. Halfaxa (2010) and Visions (2012) are personal favorites of mine. Most of her albums have this echoing haunt to them. When I listen to her, I feel like I’m having lucid dream. I love Grimes for all of her weirdness, obscurity, and falsettos. But upon hearing her newest release, Art Angels (2015) I was appalled. My precious baby had the same amount of oddity, but she was sounding Pop. It wasn’t that I didn’t like Art Angels; I was just used to Grimes’ primal side. I recognized that the album was well-crafted but due to my own personal taste,  I didn’t love it.

When I found out that Grimes was going to be playing the Metro on November 24th, I jumped right on it. I decided to go with a friend of mine to the show. While I was, of course, thrilled to be seeing Grimes, I couldn’t shake off the fact that she would most definitely be performing songs from her latest album. Nevertheless, I proceeded to visit Ms. Boucher that frigid night.

We waited an hour and a half before we got to see the opening act, Nicole Dollanganger. Honestly, she scared me and probably everyone else in the room. As I looked around, I saw the tired and dissatisfied faces of Grimes fans waiting for who they paid to see. As Dollanganger screeched alongside a metal guitar improv, the room was still and impatient. When the set was over, a collective sigh of relief was let out.

As Claire Boucher made her way to the stage, my heart skipped a beat. I was ready, she was ready, everybody else was ready. As per usual, everyone squished themselves up towards stage. The intro to “Circumambient” (Visions) created the perfect setting for the show. A perfect blend of, well, ambient noise, ethereal harmonies, and signature Grimes baby-talk. Smash-hits such as “Oblivion” (Visions) and “Genesis” (Visions) drove the crowd wild. Everyone mimicked the two backup dancers onstage and jumped for joy. Finally, we were all sweating- the primary indicator of a good concert.

She introduced “Venus Fly” (Art Angels) with an apology; Janelle Monae, who features in the song, was not there. I didn’t care less, though. I didn’t like anything off of the new album, anyway.  But as the base pumped underneath my feet, and purple, red, and blue lights flashed in my eyes, I was hyped and I couldn’t believe it. The album grew on me. As “Kill V. Maim” (Art Angels), “SCREAM” (Art Angels), and “Realiti” (Art Angels) permeated the room, I started to fall in love. Who was I? Was I an art angel? I certainly wanted to be.

I didn’t expect to have as much fun as I did that night. As soon as I came home, I downloaded the entire album. Grimes’ performance was so spectacular that she made me love Art Angels. The only complaints about the show I had were that Nicole Dollanganger was terrifying and that Grimes didn’t sing “California” (Art Angels)- which was surprising since it’s one of the most popular songs off of Art Angels, even popular enough to gaining radio play. The special effects, crowd, dancers, and most importantly, performance, was magical. Grimes has not only perfected her production throughout the years, but she has the talent to prove herself as a true artist through live performances. Though there was fog on the stage, there is no smoke and mirrors when it comes to Grimes’ abilities.