Breakups are messy and never just one thing. Grief doesn’t arrive in a neat sequence, and Joan & the Giants’ new EP ‘The Five Stages of Grief‘ catches every jagged edge of that truth. Across six tracks, the Boorloo/Perth band chart the collapse of a nine-year relationship between frontwoman Gracie Newton-Wordsworth and the band’s now-former guitarist Aaron Birch, pulling us through denial, anger, bargaining, depression and finally, something like acceptance.
It’s their best work yet, radiating the kind of art that feels lived-in. These songs come from real conversations, late-night reflections, and the quiet pain that doesn’t need dressing up.
Opener ‘Feels Like Heartache’ lingers in the stillness before the break. An acoustic guitar sketch swells into something chest-tightening. By ‘How Could You’, the air has shifted and it’s restless, and bitter poetry.
Bargaining arrives with ‘All I Know’, notably Aaron’s only solo writing credit. A piano-led confessional that feels almost too intimate to hear. That same intimacy deepens on ‘When You Were Mine’, written mid-tour with the split still fresh.
Loose and born from a jam, ‘Still Breathing’ is classic Joan & the Giants, balanced between soft pop and rock before ‘Part of Me’ closes the EP with a little more light creeping in. The tempo lifts, the vocals rise, and while nothing is neatly resolved, there’s the sense of a door closing on a room.
“For a long time I felt like a butterfly trapped in a cocoon, not being able to see the light —but that is changing and I’m starting to spread my wings and find peace, joy and freedom. This EP is an embodiment of grief, love and survival — a painful chapter transformed into music and now healing.”
The Five Stages of Grief is out today, with the band heading out on their headline tour later this year, straight after their sold-out run with The Fray.
The Five Stages of Grief Tour
Sat, Aug 16 – Merri Creek Tavern, Melbourne – w/ Jordan Ravi
Sat, Sept 18 – The Espy, Melbourne w/ Nana’s Pie Band
Thu, Sep 25 – Lulies Tavern, Melbourne – Free Entry
Sat, Sep 27 – Vic On The Park, Sydney- Free Entry
Sun, Sep 28 – The Triffid Beer Garden, Brisbane – Free Entry
The Fray’s
‘How To Save A Life’ 20th Anniversary Tour
Wed, Dec 3 – Metro City, Perth – SOLD OUT
Fri, Dec 5 – Eatons Hill, Brisbane – SOLD OUT
Sat, Dec 6 – Enmore Theatre, Sydney – SOLD OUT
Sun, Dec 7 – Forum, Melbourne – SOLD OUT
Tuesday, Dec 9 – Forum, Melbourne – SOLD OUT
Wed, Dec 10 – Enmore Theatre, Sydney – SOLD OUT
