EMMMA today releases her second EP, ‘Wednesday’s Child’, which is accompanied by a video for its focus track ‘Cards’. It emerges as EMMMA is currently introducing herself to fresh audiences across the UK and Ireland as special guest to Pale Waves. Listen HERE. Watch the official video HERE.
‘Wednesday’s Child’ represents a leap of growth beyond last year’s debut EP ‘Secondary Character’. Its songs have been constructed to be able to burst into life when played in big venues, while its themes are dominated by the end of a long-term relationship. But there’s more to the narrative than just mere heartache, it’s also about the what-comes-next? Coming to terms with such changes, rediscovering who you are, and eventually moving forwards again.
As EMMMA explains, “I’ve heard a lot of people compare it to losing a limb, this feeling of walking around as though something crucial is missing,” she explains. “Everything just stopped, and it kept stopping. At the same time, whatever was missing… I knew I didn’t really want it back, because it wasn’t right for me. But it was still really jarring.”
The EP’s new focus track ‘Cards’ starts sombre, as EMMMA paints a portrait of two people trapped in a silent stalemate, no longer sure why they’re together. But as the beat quickens, it feels like a sonic metaphor for a relationship stuck at a crossroads: there’s no prospect of a future so the only escape is to race off into the unknown. Her affecting songwriting and the track’s bittersweet tone recalls boygenius’s ‘Strong Enough’ in the frustration of never having a straight answer as to what went wrong. Sometimes, that’s just the way the cards fall.
The accompanying video for ‘Cards’ depicts EMMMA as a mermaid-style figure, observing as the waves whip up upon a beach. The dry land is the safety – but ultimate unhappiness – of the remnants of the relationships. And so diving into the unknown of the sea is the only option.
Joining ‘Cards’ and the recent singles ‘Cut The Breaks’, ‘Wednesday’s Child’, ‘Burning Bridges’ and ‘Whiplash’ is a second new song in the shape of ‘Morning’. It’s a stunning final chapter for the EP. Piano notes swirl like dustmotes caught in the light that breaks through a gap in the curtains; daylight on the other side offers that harsh but necessary dose of reality. As the song reaches the outro, though, we hear her voice taking on a new-found peace, accepting that change is part of life. Suddenly, we’re seeing things clearly.
EMMMA adds, “It’s definitely about just trying to enjoy the final moments of a relationship before it ends, just for a little longer.”
All six songs on the EP were co-written by EMMMA. Her collaborators include Ben Wylen (Dan Caplen), Seth Tackaberry (Holly Humberstone, London Grammar), Paul Whalley (MisterWives, Grace Davies) and Ben Lythe (Grace Davies, Aine Dean).
EMMMA was raised in Westport, Connecticut, where she picked up the violin when she was just two-years-old, later learning the piano and performing in local music theatre. The family home was filled with the songs of Joni Mitchell, Carole King andJames Taylor – artists who would nurture EMMMA’s love of storytelling. That passion combined with a brave introspective streak inspired the themes of personal reflection and growth that inspired her debut EP ‘Secondary Character’, a collection that inspired comparisons to Holly Humberstone, Chappell Roan and Phoebe Bridgers. She is now based in London.
EMMMA’s tour as special guest to Pale Waves continues with the following dates:
OCTOBER – SUPPORT TO PALE WAVES
16th – Manchester, O2 Ritz
17th – Cardiff, Tramshed
18th – Wrexham, The Rockin’ Chair
20th – Brighton, CHALK
21st – Southampton, Engine Rooms
22nd – Norwich, The Waterfront
23rd – Bournemouth, The Old Fire Station
25th – Oxford, O2 Academy
28th – Dublin, The Academy
29th – Belfast, Limelight
30th – Cork, Cyprus Avenue
