Emmy The Great
Second Love
Reviewed by: Lauren Rosier
London-based singer/songwriter Emma-Lee Moss, known as her stage name, Emmy The Great, is back with third full-length LP, Second Love, an emotionally charged record that speaks to the heart.
It’s been almost five years since her last release, Virtue, which detailed her painful breakup from her fiance after he found religion and decided to dedicate himself to the church. Since then, Emmy’s been around the world, living in multiple different cities, including her native Hong Kong.
Second Love is much about second opportunities, growing, evolving, and finding new paths. This is a very warm, richer sounding record than her previous releases – especially compared to her acoustic days.
The record opens with the sweet track, “Swimming Pool,” featuring Tom Fleming from Wild Beasts. Emmy’s ornate vocal speaks volumes about her new life following her heartbreak. “Swimming Pool” is full of echoing guitar reverb and soothing synths. Fleming’s inviting baritone pulls the track together into a blanket of warmth.
One of my favorite subjects that Emmy touches upon is the effect of technology on human relationships in “Hyperlink” where she visits a “cafe where the drinks cost more than music” where all the visitors are “tapping keys where once they would read magazines.”
The electronic vibe of the track “Dance W Me” is definitely the highlight of the album. The twinkling synths and rhythmic drums bring an infectious vibe to the record. Emmy sings about a potential significant other “always asking me for it, always hustling me for it” and asks them to “dance with me ‘cause we’ll be alone by tomorrow” and they “should get what you want tonight.”
This is definitely a record that grew on me the more I listened to it. At first I wasn’t sure I liked it, but with each consecutive listen, it seemed to resonate with me differently than it did at first listen. The lyrics became increasingly relatable like in “Algorithm” where Emmy is speaking to another individual – perhaps a potential lover – “talk to me like you’re walking home, tell me something that nobody knows.”
Give this record a listen from a terrific up and coming singer/songwriter that puts her heart and soul into songwriting. The emotional and rawness in some of her songs is completely incredible.
Rating: Listenable
