Last month Australian singer/songwriter Grace Cummings released Bloodhorse!, her fourth full-length, third for ATO Records (home of our dear phriends Deer Tick, Friko, and Margaret Glaspy), and second with GRAMMY-nominated producer Jonathan Wilson, known for his work with Father John Misty, Angel Olsen, and our buddy Bella White. And one week from tonight Cummings kicks off more than a month of US dates which include a mix of headlining shows, festival appearances, and gigs opening for Tyler Ballgame and Rayland Baxter, respectively. The first headlining show of the jaunt will actually take place at our very own MilkBoy, next Tuesday, September 15th. Last month I got a chance to chat with Grace Cummings (via Zoom) about Bloodhorse!, playing for fans around the world, and why Australia should bring back Big Day Out.
*Interview has been edited for length and clarity.
Izzy Cihak: Your fourth album, Bloodhorse!, recently dropped. Have you had any favorite reactions to the songs, whether things written about it, things fans have reached out to tell you, or reactions the songs have gotten from live audiences? I know you’ve been playing a number of the songs live for a while now…
Grace Cummings: I think the live audience is my favorite part, being able to see their connection, feel something real. I try not to read too much that’s written about me… Playing the record’s been my favorite thing, but also it being received and accepted for leaning into who I am is a good thing. And it’s been received as a good thing, as well.
Izzy: On that note, how do you feel like the album compares to previous releases?
Grace: I think that I’ve gone through some pretty big changes in my own life that have kind of led me to this place where I kind of don’t care… There’s a layer of care or judgement or fitting in that I really just don’t have the energy for anymore, and I’m so grateful for that. It doesn’t mean I’m not sometimes worried about it, but having that layer gone is so great. And someone who accepts all of that, and accepts me and all of the absolute chaos of me, is Jonathan Wilson, and I don’t think I’d be able to do that with anybody else.
Izzy: I was gonna ask about that, because I know you’ve worked with him before. How has it been working with him and just getting to know him as a friend over the past few years?
Grace: He’s one of my best mates. That happened after [2024 LP] Ramona. We’re very similar, we understand each other, and we work in similar ways. I mean, I would love to be a freakin’ fraction of the incredible musician that that guy is. He is a freak of nature! But we both work in a playful, kind of childish way that is not that precious. We speak the same language, and he’s just a massive champion of mine and also a really good friend, so I feel so comfortable with him. The two of us are like two little Jack Russells running around, just really excited about making and playing music, and that’s it! It’s not like for what outcome or how’s it gonna land… none of that’s in there. It’s just us being passionately in love with what we’re doing at that time.
Izzy: I really dig the album, but I especially love the opening track, “The Hills are Alive with the Sound of Morphine,” which is obviously a cover of sorts. So, I’m curious how that came about?
Grace: It’s a nod… I was talking to a friend of mine — who is an incredible musician and a member of my band, Miles Brown — about some kind of music that I wanted to make, like showing him a song or something, and it just came about as a joke that kind of lingered on. Morphine… the connection that people make is obviously drugs, but that’s not really for me. It’s something that takes pain away, whatever that may be. If I were to quote Sandman, it’s Morpheus, the God of Dreams [laughs].
Izzy: You’ve released really cool music videos for all of the album’s singles, so I’m curious what kinds of things have been most inspiring the visual elements of the latest album?
Grace: This time around, it was a layer of care, and then get it out of the way. I think that was especially apparent for videos like “FAKE,” which came about firstly because there’s a lack of budget, and secondly because I think the music does a lot of the work there. I decided to show a bit of a palette of ugliness, not in a superficial way, but in a human way, a rawness that I’m not worried about people seeing anymore, especially as a lady.
Izzy: You’ve been with ATO Records for a while now, which is such an amazing label home to so many of my favorite people in music. How has it been working with them and being a part of that label family?
Grace: It’s been great! They’ve been supporting me for years, and that’s not easy for an Australian all the way on the other side of the world [laughs]. Things are pretty difficult for musicians living in Australia. We are so far away, and to get anywhere it costs a lot of money, a lot of time, a lot of energy, a lot of planning. You can’t just be like, “Oh, there’s this thing! Let’s go do it!” You can’t do that kind of stuff on a whim. I think an international label taking that on is a really, really amazing thing.
Izzy: Do you have any particular favorite labelmates, artists on the label that you just really dig?
Grace: My Morning Jacket! I recently toured with them and became good friends with the guys, Jim and Patrick especially. Jim and Patrick were actually pretty important in changing my life in a big way, and I’m very grateful for those two… and the whole band [laughs]. They’re beautiful, beautiful people and all that kind of bullshit that people think that “rock n’ roll” is about, when it’s not, those guys don’t display any of that. They’re so generous and kind, and to be able to be a band that’s around for that long, and be on stage with each other every night, and keep enjoying what they’re doing, is about being kind and having good connections with people, and being generous and lovely people, and that’s what they are. They’re all beautiful.
Izzy: You’re about to kick off a ton of upcoming live dates across the US, UK, and Europe… more than two months’ worth… Are there any shows you’re especially excited about or just cities you’re especially excited to revisit?
Grace: I mean, I am astounded that I can go anywhere and there will be people, hopefully [laughs], there to come and see me. If there’s someone there who has a connection with this stuff, that’s it! That’s what excites me! And that could be anywhere. That’s what I’m looking for, really.
Izzy: You are playing a pretty big mix of venues and settings, from barrooms to some pretty big venues opening for Tyler Ballgame, and then a number of festivals. How do you like regularly playing this variety of settings? Are there certain things you like about each?
Grace: Yeah! I like having to be adaptable, because it means the creation process doesn’t ever really stop, because you’ve got to fit somewhere and be appropriate for that. I do love festivals because, if I’m not in a rush, it means I maybe get to discover people that I’ve not heard of before and become a fan… And small places because they’re intimate. Everything is great, but festivals are particularly fun, because that’s my favorite way to discover music, to stumble upon somebody live. And I’m lucky that that happens often.
Izzy: What can be expected of the live show when you’re here at MilkBoy, which is a 200-capacity barroom?
Grace: I don’t know what’ll happen in the future, but something I focus on, and it’s my like one thing that I focus on with a big band, with a duo, solo… is the feeling and the emotion. I just want to give all of that to everybody the best that I can… And expect to hear some from Bloodhorse!, I suppose [laughs].
Izzy: Are you gonna be playing with a band or solo, or…
Grace: I’ll be playing not with my entire band, but I will be accompanied. The thing about these songs is that, unless I win the lottery today, there’s no way it’s going to be sounding like the record. It doesn’t mean I’m not gonna make the record, because they’re two different things. The way that we’ve been changing it for live shows in different formations has been so awesome and I think still encapsulates the grand nature and feeling of it. That’s really fun, the making doesn’t stop, so everything feels real and present. I really love that because if a challenge stops, it gets a little boring for me and the audience. Being able to change it makes me, and hopefully other people, feel it every time.
Izzy: Your currently announced dates wrap at the very end of November, so I’m curious how you’re hoping and planning to close out 2026 and maybe even start 2027, whether relating to work or just relaxation and time off?
Grace: I struggle so hard to stop moving. I would like to close out the year feeling the pride and gratitude that I feel now. And I would like to look at a mango in a tree next to a parrot before I go down to Spooky Beach and return the sand I have in a jar that I took from the beach at the end of last year… I’m gonna return that bit of sand, I’m gonna get another bit of sand, and I’ll keep it for another year [laughs]. And I’ll get in the surf and I’ll wash everything away, and then I’ll start again.
Izzy: Oh yeah, because for you all, it’s summer at that time of year, which I only know because of Big Day Out…
Grace: I love the Big Day Out! Come back! Gosh, that was my favorite thing ever!
Izzy: Yeah! They had some crazy lineups…
Grace: And, speaking of festivals and stumbling across people, that’s where I discovered Primal Scream, Tame Impala were playing in front of like fifty people… I hugged Iggy Pop, I saw Neil Young and smoked a bit of his joint [laughs]. It was just the best thing [laughs]. Come on, Australia, let’s get it back!
*Get your tickets here.
