New Music: Grace Kay – Tired

Published On: October 21st, 2026|

FALL FROM GRACE isn’t Grace Kay’s ‘difficult second album,’ but difficulties and obstacles may have helped shape her sophomore long player.

Los Angeles musician and trained actor Kay looked outwards on her 2023 Grace’s Gospel LP, taking its cues from those around her, especially women, that helped form her vision of her own womanhood, and also the album’s listener-friendly fusion of indie, soul, and pop.

Tired signals Kay coming to terms with how external factors, especially the views, actions, and reactions of men, impacted her sense of self. Social conditioning even now can pressure women to find fault in themselves when others – men – are more likely to be the cause. Kay repeats the line “They must be tired of me,” before subtly and unconsciously pointing the blame for that tiredness inwards.

Paired with a disconcertingly light indie-pop-soul arrangement, the lyrics could not have a greater contrast. But the song offers hope, as Kay shows how women need to recognise that. As the song fades out, that line about fades with it, but maybe now the tiredness is about refusing to internalise that blame for the behaviours of others.

The accompanying video for Tired might not be for the squeamish: directed by Nyiko Beguin, it opens with an extreme close-up of Kay before pulling back to show us images of the kinds of rituals and routines women need to perform to maintain a feeling of being in control. I won’t spoil the video, but if you like American Horror Story and The Stepford Wives, you’ll like where the colourful and occasionally gory video takes you.

Both song and video reflect the themes of the album itself; “In many ways, the music and themes explored in FALL FROM GRACE are the antithesis of Grace’s Gospel,” says Kay. “This project explores the ways my experiences with men caused me to lose touch with that authenticity, even though, ultimately, I was the one who allowed myself to walk away from it.”

FALL FROM GRACE is out now on Trailing Twelve Records; you can hear the album on all major platforms, including Spotify and SoundCloud. Get to know Grace Kay by connecting with her on Facebook, TikTok, and Instagram. Kay holds an album release party at Permanent Records Roadhouse on the 23^rd of October, where she’ll perform all nine songs from FALL FROM GRACE.

Header photo by Amanda Verdadero