Joan & the Giants turn heartbreak into music on The Five Stages of Grief
Australian alt-pop outfit Joan & the Giants return with their raw and emotive new EP, The Five Stages of Grief.
The six-track collection delves into frontwoman Gracie Newton-Wordsworth’s nine-year relationship with former guitarist Aaron Birch, turning heartbreak into a powerful musical journey.
The band has built an international profile, sharing stages with P!NK and Tones and I at Perth’s OPTUS Stadium, wowing crowds at SXSW and BIGSOUND, and topping Happy Mag’s NITH competition. Now, they gear up for a sold-out support slot on The Fray’s How To Save A Life 20th anniversary tour, alongside their own headline run.
The EP follows the classic five stages of grief: denial (Feels Like Heartache), anger (How Could You), bargaining (All I Know), depression (When You Were Mine), and acceptance (Still Breathing and Part of Me), with each track capturing the highs and lows of love lost.
Reflecting on the EP, Newton-Wordsworth says:
“For a long time I felt like a butterfly trapped in a cocoon… This EP is an embodiment of grief, love and survival — a painful chapter transformed into music and now healing.”
Joan & the Giants kick off The Five Stages of Grief Tour August 16 in Melbourne, with free-entry shows across Sydney, Melbourne, and Brisbane.
