Addison Grace Delivers a Gen Z Rallying Cry in “WW3”
Photo: Courtney Kiara
Whether you’re reading this between bouts of doom-scrolling or groggily on the way to your second shift, it can be easy to feel like the world is spiraling toward its final days. We continue to drill for oil as the climate crisis worsens, the dream of owning a home and affordable healthcare increasingly seems like just a dream, and demand for gun control is met with the banning of drag shows and gender-affirming healthcare. No one would blame you for feeling a general sense of hopelessness, but if that is the case, let Addison Grace’s “WW3” be your ray of hope.
“WW3” arrives as the first glimpse of new music from Grace since last year’s release of the non-binary bedroom pop artist’s sophomore EP Things That Are Bad For Me. It’s a follow-up that doesn’t rest on the laurels of the success of what came before it, instead arriving as a slow-burning protest anthem and moment of shelter for anyone who feels like they're weathering an ever-present storm.
Akin to smoldering embers slowly giving shape to a raging fire, “WW3” opens in tender fashion, with Grace’s somber vocals and a lone guitar filling the room before eventually erupting into an impossible-to-ignore rallying cry finale accentuated by distant police sirens and one last emotional plea. It's equal parts frustration and silver lining wrapped in one resounding package. “I’m sure the kids can outsmart the senate / Before it hits 200 degrees / … They tell us it’s fucked / But we’ll make it better,” she sings, cementing “WW3” as a song steeped in hope for the generation to come.
Listen to “WW3” below:
