“GrentPerez”, or Grant Perez, is a Filipino indie artist from Sydney, Australia. He has found success in his high-beat tones and underlying expanses of love. “Backflips in a Restaurant” marks the sixth album in his discography. 

1. Nice to Meet You

The album’s opening song, Nice to Meet You, not only introduces the listener to the album but also introduces a love interest from whom Perez reminisces about what could have been. 

“Hope one day our paths crossway

And then I’ll say, ‘It’s nice to meet you.’”

With upticks and a higher key, his lyrics may appear regretful, but the beat masks them, transforming the music into a feeling of nostalgia.

2. Girl at the station

Girl at the Station was heavily influenced by the anime movie, “Your Name.” The film follows two high schoolers who switch bodies, in which there is a scene where they meet each other at a train station. With lyrics like, “I was lost in the motion and struck by the image of you. In the midst of my transit, I fell deeply in love with the view,” Perez captures the image of what could be. I couldn’t agree more with the message. Love at first sight is hard to come by, and when I think I may have found it, it passes right by.

3. Falling for a Friend

Getting too close to a friend can sometimes be dangerous, and Perez perfectly captures this in his song, Falling for a Friend. 

“And said all the right things from the start?

What if you tripped and fell and landed in my arms?

Would you still love me the same?”

He questions whether he should have approached his relationship differently, 

4. Fuzzy Feeling

Fuzzy Feeling lives up to its name, delivering a warm, comforting tune that encapsulates the euphoria of falling in love. This song includes Perez’s first feature on the album, singing with Dutch artist Benny Sings. With a gentle acoustic arrangement and soft harmonies, the song envelops listeners in a dreamy atmosphere, evoking the sensation of butterflies and newfound affection.

5. Headspace

A more introspective track, Headspace delves into the internal conflict of overthinking and emotional turmoil. With melancholic instrumentation and introspective lyricism, Perez offers an honest portrayal of struggling with one’s thoughts, making it a profoundly relatable moment on the album. This is a situation all too common for high schoolers like myself, where people don’t know where reality starts, and delusions end with their relationships.

6. 12065

The number 12065 may not make much sense at first glance, but upon hearing the repeated phrase “12065 away,” one would realize that Perez is talking about distance. Specifically, 12065 is the distance in kilometers between Sydney and LA. Here, Perez is showing the struggles of long-distance relationships and how new environments can change people. The song has a mellow, sort of sad tone to it that carries through the lyrics, which is unusual for Perez, whose songs are mostly upbeat and wholesome. As high schoolers, the concept of long-distance relationships may be foreign, but it is not entirely inevitable as we head into college. Perez is preparing us for what may come.

7. Everest

Every relationship starts with a honeymoon phase. However, Perez’s version of this is cute puns and minor quirks he came up with as a child. Quoting, 

“The world may be imperfect, though with you, that just ain’t true

I’d rearrange the alphabet and put “I” right next to ‘U.’” 

His short pickup lines capture the innocence of a relationship where everything stays bliss.

8. Need you Around

Like 12065, Need You Around again mentions the struggles of long-distance relationships. This is evident when he says,

“If you need something, know I’ll be there

I’ll walk the longest road and more.”

However, the clearest sign of his message is shown in his music video for the song, which features Perez sitting alone at a dinner table clearly meant for two. Although the song covers the situation of a long-distance relationship, Perez is still clearly caring and loving his person of interest despite the distance.

9. Reason Why

Reason Why has similar themes to Headspace. Relationships can be challenging and complex, and they can falter through miscommunications. Here, Perez is trying to make up with his loved one, evident when he sings,

“I know that you think that I’m lying.”

Being able to read the person you are in a relationship with can be crucial to greater understanding, and Perez captures this perfectly.

10. Dandelion

Dandelion is Perez’s second collaboration song with Australian Ruel. The song captures the feelings of wanting to keep that special someone all to yourself, valuing them and making sure they don’t fly away — similar to a dandelion.

11. 2DK 

As the most distinct song on the album, and honestly my least favorite, Perez encapsulates the experiences of meeting a girl for the first time, describing him and a woman as “Two Drunk Kids.” By telling the immaturity of falling in love too quickly, Perez displays the short fun that can occur within relationships. Although the song breaks the album’s flow, it has its niches and shows that Perez is experimenting with a “UK spoken-word rap.”

12. Movie Scene

Probably my favorite song on the album, Movie Scene describes the beauty of seeing a women saying they are 

“Straight out of a movie scene.” 

The song’s second verse jumps straight into Perez, describing how he talks to a girl to keep his interest. In this song, he experiments with R&B, and it works.

13. Yours To Keep 

The final song of the album brings the album to a full close by returning to Perez’s usual style of fun, wholesome lyrics.

Backflips in a Restaurant is a solid album that shows Perez experimenting with different genres to find his place in music. Although some songs, such as 2DK, seem out of place, he makes up for them with crafty use of tone shifts and differing dynamics. Although there are some that do not like his changing style and experimentation, I think it is a good step in his early career in music to really find his niche that matches his outgoing mellow personality. He will be touring Backflips in a Restaurant across North America, and will be coming to Houston on May 3.

Overall, I give the album a solid 8.3/10, and can’t wait to see where he takes his music next.