Grace Graber is adding to the growing ranks of up-and-coming artists unafraid to address their mental health publicly, with hopes that it will help others navigate their own. With a versatile sound, musically covering pop, pop rock, and pop/punk, Graber joins the blossoming independent Christian music scene with her debut, The Breakthrough. Featuring co-writes with members of Stars Go Dim, Hawk Nelson, Fireflight, and Disciple, you get a general idea of her influences and target audience.

While half of the tracklist has already been "waterfalled" before the album release date, it does not spoil all the fun, serving instead as a good sampling of sounds to whet the appetite of new listeners. For example, opener "In Between" roars out of the gate with punk-tinged energy, and pop/rock "The Sign" continues with album thesis-setting lines, "I'm still breathing/There's a reason I'm still here."

If "The Sign" is the setup, then the title track is the spike of Graber's purpose in life, that being to encourage others to see that, "He saved me like He'll save you" and, "If you need the proof, you're on His mind/Just look at my life/He will break through, breakthrough." The personal testimony is earnest and sweet and always needed.

From here, the meat of the album features three previously released singles, and my favorite songs, "As I Am," "Solo," and "No Regrets." The latter is an energetic pop-punk number with a guest spot from Peabod adding to the fun. "Solo" is a danceable take on pop rock akin to what you might hear from the newest Paramore album. Its darker-sounding verses give way to a more open and hooky chorus that is incredibly catchy. Additional standouts would be the two slower tunes on the record, the acoustic guitar-strummed "Saved" and the piano-led "If You’re Like Me."

All in all, while The Breakthrough doesn't necessarily break new ground musically, it does excel at varying the pop sounds, keeping it brief, and brimming with hope amidst pain in the messaging. This is a meticulously crafted debut, from the lyrics to the musicality, and down to the track sequencing. Add Grace Graber to the list of the new crop of Christian artists to keep an eye on, like Chris Renzema, Josiah Queen, David Kushner, Anne Wilson, and Riley Clemmons.

- Review date: 8/22/24, written by Josh Balogh of Jesusfreakhideout.com

Record Label: None
Album length: 12 tracks: 39 minutes 3 seconds
Street Date: August 23, 2024
Buy It: gracegrabermerch.square.site

1. In Between (2:21)
2. The Signs (2:53)
3. Breakthrough (3:34)
4. As I Am (2:37)
5. Superficiality (2:55)
6. Grace Of God (3:34)
7. Solo (3:01)
8. Saved (4:17)
9. If You're Like Me (3:09)
10. No Regrets (feat. PEABOD) (3:30)
11. More Than A Miracle (3:25)
12. Greater (3:52)