Emmy The Great
S EP
Bella Union
S, the new EP from British singer-songwriter Emmy The Great, packs a punch. The album features four songs with names starting with the letter s and, more importantly, offers up powerful lyrics and catchy pop.
According to Bella Union, S was written in Salt Lake City, Tokyo, Hong Kong, LA, New York and London, and it does have a worldly feel. βAs I wrote the songs I began to reflect more and more (about) the world that I saw around me: incredibly bright, technologically breathtaking,β Emmy (whose given name is Emma-Lee Moss) explains on the labelβs website. βI am curious about being a person in this world, and I tried to write that into the music.β
The EP starts off so strong with βSwimming Pool,β which has a haunting quality. Maybe itβs Emmyβs beautiful voice; maybe itβs the rippling keys. It could be the lyrics, or maybe itβs the dark addition of Tom Flemingβs deep voice β either way, this is a song that sticks with me, and I expect weβll hear a lot of it in the coming year.
Emmy follows that gem up with βSocial Halo,β a catchy tune with moody guitar that opens with the great line: βOh no, everythingβs moving so close, Iβm starting to lose my social halo.β
Synthesizers help build up the energy in the third track, βSolar Panels,β which is really catchy and has a global feel.
The final song on the album, βSomerset (I Canβt Get Over),β is another highlight. Itβs beautiful and sad and includes references to F. Scott Fitzgerald and Tennessee Williams. βCome outside, letβs talk about something thatβs real, like, please donβt get over me,β Emmy sings in her crystal-clear voice.
S is a catchy, colourful EP that showcases Emmyβs strong pop writing and beautiful voice, and if it is a preview for a new full-length album, it makes me really excited to hear more.
β Lindsay ChungΒ (Twitter @LChunger)
SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: EMMY THE GREAT – S EP
Lindsay Chung