Emmy the Great
S
Reviewed by: Max Miller
British singer-songwriter Emmy the Great, otherwise known as Emma-Lee Moss, drew rave reviews from the U.K. music press for her two full-lengths and various EPs. S, her latest EP and first release in four years, marks the next stage in the evolution of pop sensibilities, which have never been anything resembling conventional. Her ambitious tunes found her connected to the British “anti-folk” scene, a collective with a difficult aesthetic to define, made up of groups like Extradition Order, Milk Kan, David Cronenberg’s Wife and others largely unheard of on our shores.
Moss showcases a diverse spectrum of tones across the four tracks on S. Opener and lead single “Swimming Pool” is a breakup ballad underscored with distant electronic pads that give the song a sense of detached optimism in contrast to the somber subject matter. “Social Halo” and “Solar Panels” (all the titles on the EP start with the letter “S” — get it?) find Moss subverting what could be fairly standard folk tunes, the former guitar-based and the latter piano-centric, with shimmery processed vocals and dance-y synth flourishes. Closer “Somerset” is another split-up song on which Moss sings, over furious tremolo-picked guitars, about tiring of being reminded of an ex-lover’s obsessions: “F. Scott Fitzgerald, Tennessee Williams/ Come on let’s talk about something different.”
S serves as a reminder that Emmy the Great is still alive and kicking. Hopefully it foretells a third full-length on which Moss can continue to flex her diverse creative muscles.
Rating: Listenable
