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Book 1

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For information about Grimes' actual sixth studio album, go here.
Book 1
Book 2
Lore

Book 1 (stylized BOOK•I)[1] is the scrapped sixth studio album by Grimes. The songs on the album are metaphorically referred to as 'chapters'.[2] It was promoted by three singles released from 2021 to 2023.

It is set in the same universe as Book 2 and Book 3 in which the digital girl group NPC reside.

Background[]

Grimes started to work on her sixth studio album as early as 2018,[3] though it is not confirmed if any music made at the time was going to appear on Book 1.[4] In June 2019, Grimes announced in a Twitter reply that Miss Anthropocene was finished sans mixing and that she was working on a new album.[5] During the release cycle of Miss Anthropocene, Grimes revealed in an interview with Zane Lowe in September 2019 that she had finished working on the album for some months before its release and had started working on its follow-up, with the techno-pop track Violence being intended for Book 1 despite ultimately appearing on Miss Anthropocene.[6] After the release of Miss Anthropocene, Grimes' contract with the independent record label 4AD ended and a year later she announced the signing to major label Columbia Records on March 8, 2021.[7]

In 2021, she announced a collaboration with The Weeknd for the song Sci-Fi via Discord,[8] which was confirmed to be another song for the album in an interview the following year.[9] In 2022, Grimes teased a collaboration with the artist Eartheater,[10] later revealed to be the track Futuristic Drugs. In January 2023 in a since deleted tweet, Grimes teased a music video for the track Utopia, which was confirmed to be the intended opening track of the album in 2021.[11] In the photo shared of the Utopia music video editing process a file could be seen called "Divinity in Extremis July", which could mean that this was planned to be another album song.[12]

Delays[]

The album has been delayed several times, being considered for a 2021 release at the earliest. In an interview about the album published in July 2021, Grimes had the following to say:[13]

❝ [What else can you tell me about the album? Is it really a space opera?] We made an album and were like, “Is this a finished album?” And that was before I signed to Columbia Records. Then I signed to Columbia, and we keep debating on the singles and it keeps changing. It’s sort of a concept album, so it does have a narrative. It’s a space opera, and I’m trying to make it air-tight, really pull it together, hone it in. With my last album, I had a lot of big ideas, but I just let it be more impressionistic. With this album, I think I have a lot more to say. I feel very strongly about the material. Also, we’re continually making songs as we go. But I think we’re going to start dropping singles, which I kind of prefer. I prefer not putting too much pressure on the album, and being able to keep adding stuff, because I also like long albums. So I think we’re going to start dropping singles this summer and then just keep dropping singles and then put the album out four, five, six singles in or something. I am a big album person, but I also like to get music out. ❞

In an Instagram live chat in October 2021 during her time as an Alter Ego judge, Grimes explained why there was a delay between the album announcement and the first singles:[14]

❝ [Rosci Diaz: Are you working on new stuff right now, Grimes?]

So basically what's happening is that I signed to a major label, and I was like: "Yeah, I'll give it a shot", and now this first single that they want for the first single and the first single that I want for the first single are in contention and there's been a minor delay while we work out this debate, so that's basically what's happening cause I think people are like: "What's happening, where's the first single?", but basically there's two competing schools of thought regarding what the first single should be, so I think we're just working, like, I kinda want the artsy single that sets up the space opera to be the first single, but they kinda want the obvious big pop song. But they might be right! They might be right, but we're in a debate, I'm open to it.

[Rosci Diaz: So, your label wants one thing, your manager wants something, but you want this, so for people that are in the industry or want to get into the industry, how do you stay true to yourself and your art?]

The thing is, it's hard; my taste in music is not very commercial and a lot of my most successful songs, I actively tried to take them off my records or not put them out, and people strong-armed me into putting them out. So, my one thing is I'm probably really wrong about understanding what people wanna hear [laughs], within my own art. All my biggest songs, I tried to not release.

[..]

Yeah, that's kind of the thing. I recognize that I might be wrong. I kinda wanna finish both videos and then we have them both and then we can truly make an objective decision (..) ❞

In January 2022, Grimes stated:[15]

❝ I made a bunch of stuff and I just want to make a bunch more stuff. [..] There's just more kind of sonic, conceptual ideas that I think need to get done to make everything make more sense. And we kind of have two album covers and it seems like a waste to throw on one of them away. ❞

Grimes originally stated that the final song for the album was finished in September 2021.[16] In September 2022 she said that the album was "done", had 20 songs on it, and was working on two more songs to release a double album, but did not know if she could.[17][18] She started working on new music in 2023 that's not apart of Book 1, but considered including the tracks onto the album.[19] Grimes said the following about the postponement of the album in an interview with Forbidden Fruits published in May 2023:[20]

❝ I have an album that I'm just really bored of. [..] It's like two years old and I'm starting to make new things, so we're just in this debate. Koto is shaking his head at me. We need to put it out. ❞

In June 2023, Grimes had an idea to "gradually" release the album, with a song from the album being released every three weeks "[un]till it's essentiallly out."[21][22] This plan did not come to fruition. In an interview published in August of that year, when presented with the fact that the album is years overdue, Grimes said:[23]

❝ I can’t say why because I signed an NDA and got myself into a legal situation. This would have come out two years ago. Now I’m making new music. [My managers] say no, but I love the new music. And they’re like, no, no, no. ❞

When asked about when the album is going to be released in an interview published in October 2023, she had the following to say:[24]

❝ It got held in limbo for a while, and then I started making a new album. My management is killing me because they’re like, “We have a whole album, why won’t you release it?” I have a bunch of stuff coming up that I’m really, really excited about. I went through this process of labels, and there is always a lot of pressure to make the first single the most commercial thing, all this stuff. I’m trying to focus on the singles and the videos. I have my album and an AI album, and I’m going to make them compete. ❞

In May 2024, in an Instagram comment Grimes said that she would be putting out new music once she had "20 or so tracks", mentioning that she wouldn't release an album "right away"[25] sparking speculation that all previous songs and releases would be discarded and not see the light of day. Later that year in September, Grimes made an all-encompassing statement, summarizing all that has happened and what she has in store:[26]

❝ Making a lot of art!! Just getting my nervous system to be a bit calmer after a year in court and shit. Need some recovery time. But inspired beyond belief, and have already my album with @illangelo - all the baby music, a zillion lo fi demos I might just drop, so much music w anyma. Election season is gonna suck so I'm just gna write until it's over and then I'm so excited to come back. After so long in fight or flight I can feel my life force coming back so strong and I'm so inspired so, I rly apologize for the delays. I mean, I also had babies and we're only just getting pre school and stuff so getting more time now. Cant wait to come back and so appreciate everyone waiting ❞

Grimes repeated the same speech when reassuring her fans:[27][28][29]

❝

Ima about to give u a bunch tho, if it's any consolation i underestimated how hard having kids wud be but there's pre school now and my step mom moved in so we're back in business !

Manager thinks I shud release the old lo fi tapes and stuff, I just wanna drop new first

My record w @ILLANGELO is so sick too,

I also made a bunch of bummer stuff during the trial etc too

❞

❝ [is Book 1 scrapped forever] No im just finishing another record first as I do not wish to promote anything that reminds me abt the last years of my life (i am truly sorry) but im going so fast, working every day, def have an album worth of material but may grind until mid November or so to see if i can keep defeating myself ❞

❝ [You should just put out Book 1 that way you don't have to make anything new] My new shit is so elevated beyond that - after everything I've been thru - I am keeping the best of book 1 for the new stuff but I've never been better in my life than right now, and I spent a lot of my time off with babies getting in my ten thousand hours of creative writing and mastering the art which I've never had - but I think I'm in new sound design territory too, I feel like I found my Atticus Ross as well in my friend VADAKIN, and I feel like I have to follow the path I'm on. Having babies rips you apart and puts you back together. Babies are ten thousand philosophy classes of shit you can only learn from that experience. Spent a year locked in battle in a state with terrible mothers rights having my instagram posts and modeling used as reasons I shouldn't have my kids and fighting and detaching from the love of my life as he becomes unrecognizable to me, with a fraction of his resources (or iq/ strategy experience), all the while I didn't see one of my babies for 5 months. And this is only what can be said publicly, since most of my experience these last years should remain behind closed doors. Poetry and pure raw emotion are pouring out of my soul at a rate I've never known, and Im improving deeply as a producer past the technical and back to the art after now knowing my craft so much better. + I've found the creative partners I've always wanted. So I hate to waste everyone's time, but I have to make what I'm making right now. And it might be upsetting and provocative to many, but it's real and the people who will feel me will feel me

And all that said I'm grateful for every bullet I caught. Cuz I feel on top of the world right now. And everything that used to give me anxiety feels like child's play after all this. Ego death, ego birth - it's everything an artist could dream of ❞

Leak and eventual cancellation[]

On January 14, 2025, nine songs created during the Book 1 era but 10 in total, were leaked.[30] These were 100% Tragedy, Afterlife, Digital Calypso, The Infinite Assassin, Futuristic Drugs, Enjoy the angels on earth, Fantasia (Tears Are Data), MUSIC 4 MACHINES, Utopia, and Riot Song.

Grimes replied to those who informed her:[31]

❝ But none of these songs were finished - it's literally not possible

Even if someone with old demos leaked - This stuff is exceptionally old, unfinished and has no plans for release

I'm not mad at it - if ppl wanna listen I just doubt these r good versions.

[..] ❞

Previously saying "it's not possible" when she thought her currently in the works songs leaked.[32]

She soon clarified that the leaked tracks were not part of any album:[33]

❝ [i think it’s hilarious we were all gaslit into being hyped for an album that never existed in the first place] Well it existed in the sense that there's 40+ demos created with the purpose of being that album [Book 1] - the way any album is made,

but were never curated, main tracks chosen, finished due to the label situation. Then I just had to move on at a point

I'll drop a body of work from that time posthumously but it doesn't make sense now after being away so long to drop unfinished material ❞

❝ Stuff like music for machines etc is an entirely different project imo - that stuff is all a couple years later than the book 1 material. I'm just trying to explain that this leak seems to be a random assortment of demos from various periods - not like a finished album - it doesn't represent the thought care and intention required to put an album together - there's stuff from side projects and unrelated synch projects in here etc ❞

Grimes said that none of the songs previously thought to be or likely to be on the album will be on her next long play.[34]

Composition[]

On June 11, 2023, in an Instagram comment, Grimes said:[35]

❝ I love dance music like beyond a rational degree and always have. I understand that it doesn't vibe with a lot of grimes fans haha, (I recently underwent an intervention where loved ones told me no more techno in the am and preferably only on weekends), soooo.. I have a buncha lo fi stuff for y'all coming too. I basically have moved my mental priorities over to babies and ai stuff, however I am so grateful each day to be an artist - and I know that is because of u guys. I have some more ye olde grimey vibes on this album - but unfortunately I couldn't help myself making more techno too omg... it's like producer crack tho. Matteo cassian and carlo r so sick and we nerd so hard. But yes, after the album I will be releasing all varieties of music not just dance. Please forgive me, it's just where my soul resides. Like I listened to enough techno to the point where ppl expressed concern. I am working to overcome this, but I rly do recommend listening on a big system w a good clear stream not social media and going to a rave haha ❞

Grimes experienced a shift in creative and personal thinking from the beginning of this album to now, saying in January 2025:[36]

❝ I don't want to release 4 year old music after going thru everything I've been thru. I do apologize rrrrllly sincerely tho. I shud do a better apology frankly - I agree. but it would be a waste of by far the best art I've ever made to shut this down and go release ancient material that is like a pale first attempt at an idea that subsequently took four years to become the darkest wisest storm ❞

Inspiration[]

Main article: Book/Lore#Inspiration

Story[]

Main article: Book/Lore#Story

Characters[]

Main article: Book/Lore#Characters

Summary[]

Main article: Book/Lore#Summary

Album Visuals[]

On December 3, 2021, Grimes first premiered album visuals photographed by Bryan Huynh on her social medias with the caption: "And so the BOOK 1 era begins",[37] however, a few weeks later she posted alternate artwork by Chen Man.[38] On January 4, 2022, Grimes asked fans to vote on which cover they would prefer.[39] Grimes went on to continue to work with Bryan Huynh, as he has been her co-creative director for several other photoshoots during the promotional campaign, and Chen Man would go on to use her photos for an NFT collection,[40] but, on May 31, 2023, Grimes tweeted in response to a fan account that she probably won't pick any of the album covers she originally proposed, and that the album cover should be "fluid and ever changing".[41]

Release and Promotion[]

Singles[]

Tracklist[]

On March 24, 2023, "Book 1.txt" was uploaded to Grimes' website elf.tech.[42] A month later on April 30, an updated tracklist called "Book 1-2.txt" replaced the file,[43] however, it was online only for a single day before being replaced with lyrics for MUSIC 4 MACHINES. Parts of the tracklist repeat.

Most of the X's in the tracklist do not match with the letters of confirmed song names. That could either mean that the encoded tracklist does not hold significant meaning or that Grimes has spelled some songs differently, or the album had a different tracklist from her earlier vision.

No. Book 1.txt Book 1-2.txt
1. XXXXX XXXXXXXXXX XXXXXXXXXXXXXX XXXX MUSIC 4 MACHINES
2. Player of Games XX XXXXXXXX XX
3. XXXXX XXXXXXXXXX XXXX XXXXX XXXXXXXXXX XXXX
4. XXXXX XXXXXX XXXX XXXXX XXXXXX XXXX
5. XX XX XX XX
6. XX XXXXXXXX XX XX XXXXXXXX XX
7. XXX XXXXXXX XXXX XXX XXXXXXX XXXX
8. XXXXX XXXXXXXXXX XXXX XXXXX\XXXXXX XXXX XXXXX XXXXXXXXXX XXXX XXXXX\XXXXXX XXXX
9. XXXXX XXXXXXXXXX XXXX XXXXX XXXXXXXXXX XXXX
10. XXXXXXX XXXXXXX
11. XXXXX XXXXXXXXXX XXXXXXXXX XXXXXXX XXXXX XXXXXXXXXX XXXXXXXXX XXXXXXX
12. XXXXX XXX XXXX XXXXX XXX XXXX
13. XXXX XXXX
14. Shinigami Eyes XX XXXXXXXX XX
15. XXXXX XXXXXXXXXX XXXX
16. XXXXX XXXXXX XXXX
17. XX XX
18. XX XXXXXXXX XX
19. XXX XXXXXXX XXXX
20. XXXXX XXXXXXXXXX XXXX XXXXX\XXXXXX XXXX
21. XXXXX XXXXXXXXXX XXXX
22. XXXXXXX

On May 31, 2023, Grimes tweeted, then deleted, a list of songs that would be on the album.[44] However, she soon clarified that the titles were "incorrect", i.e likely spelled differently and not in tracklist order,[45] and Darq Souls would not be present for the album, but rather would be released independently due to fan requests.[46] But Grimes later said that she didn't create the list, so the songs were not necessarily meant for release.[47]

The list was as follows:

Previously Confirmed[]

  • LOVE[9] (matches the amount of characters on track 13.)
  • Marie Antoinette 2077[4] (matches the amount of characters on track 3.)
  • Title unknown (features the lyric "Despite all my rage / I am still just a doll in a cage.")[9]
  • Futuristic Drugs (featuring Eartheater) (as of January 2025 intended for Eartheater's upcoming album according to Grimes.)[10][49]

Unconfirmed[]

Other[]

Songs teased and released throughout the Book 1 era that were not apart of the album:

Outtakes[]

References[]

  1. ↑ https://youtu.be/ADHFwabVJec?t=29
  2. ↑ https://youtu.be/ADHFwabVJec?t=29
  3. ↑ https://www.nme.com/news/music/grimes-apologises-calling-4ad-shit-label-2249609
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 https://www.nylon.com/life/grimes-space-opera-album
  5. ↑ https://x.com/Grimezsz/status/1136429741848707072
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 https://www.thefader.com/2019/09/05/grimes-charli-xcx-collaboration-interview-miss-anthropocene-violence
  7. ↑ https://www.thefader.com/2021/03/08/grimes-has-signed-to-columbia-records
  8. ↑ https://www.reddit.com/r/TheWeeknd/comments/rr5yn0/grimes_just_confirmed_a_collab_with_the_weeknd/
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 https://www.vanityfair.com/style/2022/03/grimes-cover-story-on-music-and-mars
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 https://www.thelineofbestfit.com/news/latest-news/grimes-says-new-music-with-eartheater-is-coming-soon
  11. ↑ https://youtu.be/uCg0rp13Vp0?t=1437 as said in the Discord chat
  12. ↑ https://www.reddit.com/r/Grimes/comments/10n3xox/new_music_video_utopia_soon/
  13. ↑ https://www.billboard.com/pro/grimes-interview-discord-new-album-futurism/
  14. ↑ https://youtu.be/VctRhvHwjME?si=wElZzZStxanM-gF3&t=672
  15. ↑ https://pitchfork.com/news/grimes-shares-video-for-new-song-shinigami-eyes-watch/
  16. ↑ https://youtu.be/_oC1gYOnJrg?t=197
  17. ↑ https://twitter.com/Grimezsz/status/1571203737972084736
  18. ↑ https://twitter.com/Grimezsz/status/1573303238320857089
  19. ↑ https://twitter.com/Grimezsz/status/1650316102579175426
  20. ↑ https://open.spotify.com/episode/75xYu6SDuiCEOObcYjifGF
  21. ↑ https://twitter.com/Grimezsz/status/1610608453327659008
    Archived: https://web.archive.org/web/20230430101417/https://twitter.com/Grimezsz/status/1610608453327659008
  22. ↑ https://twitter.com/Grimezsz/status/1664083781081497600
  23. ↑ https://www.wired.com/story/grimes-big-interview/
  24. ↑ https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-features/grimes-aespa-k-pop-media-ai-music-1234853710/
  25. ↑
    Grimes Instagram Comment 023
  26. ↑ https://twitter.com/Grimezsz/status/1830477693475021181
  27. ↑ https://x.com/Grimezsz/status/1846415929468682712
  28. ↑ https://x.com/Grimezsz/status/1846374549182730334
  29. ↑ https://x.com/Grimezsz/status/1859148117083304060
  30. ↑ https://pixeldrain.com/u/DjUrsvhh
  31. ↑ https://x.com/Grimezsz/status/1879272693683696060
  32. ↑ https://x.com/Grimezsz/status/1879268411995455945
  33. ↑ https://x.com/Grimezsz/status/1879501192407208146
  34. ↑ https://x.com/GrimesWiki/status/1879270319447519561
  35. ↑ https://twitter.com/grimesfeed/status/1667911726707212290
  36. ↑ https://x.com/Grimezsz/status/1879271914381906294
  37. ↑ https://www.instagram.com/p/CXAiG74sUgV/
  38. ↑ https://www.instagram.com/p/CYCWYVWFwLu/
  39. ↑ https://www.instagram.com/p/CYUUtWDFwld/?img_index=1
  40. ↑ https://opensea.io/collection/chen-man-silentnoise-episode-01
  41. ↑ https://twitter.com/Grimezsz/status/1664114762727460864
  42. ↑ https://www.reddit.com/r/Grimes/comments/120oqy8/book_1_censored_track_list_from_elftech/
  43. ↑ https://www.reddit.com/r/Grimes/comments/133ncod/huge_elftech_update/?utm_source=embedv2&utm_medium=post_embed&utm_content=action_bar
  44. ↑ https://www.reddit.com/r/Grimes/comments/13x46if/release_schedule_album_tracklist/ Grimes had stated that they were already behind schedule so the dates are not to be taken seriously
  45. ↑ https://twitter.com/Grimezsz/status/1664082745063247874
  46. ↑ https://twitter.com/Grimezsz/status/1664111738286112768
  47. ↑ https://x.com/Grimezsz/status/1879278239824461876
  48. ↑ https://youtu.be/uCg0rp13Vp0?t=1437 as said in the Discord chat
  49. ↑ https://x.com/Grimezsz/status/1879278714292515307
  50. ↑ https://www.reddit.com/r/Grimes/comments/xcjn9c/who_do_we_think_s_is_deleted_tweet/
  51. ↑ https://www.ascap.com/repertory#/ace/search/workID/911956916
  52. ↑ https://twitter.com/GRIMESBRAZIL/status/1619290136117915648
  53. ↑ https://twitter.com/Grimezsz/status/1058442374467076096
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