Photo: Yossi Sloane
New York City indie artist Emmrose released her latest single ’17 Inside’ back on the 24th of February and it’s not only a wistful look at a Covid-tormented year, it’s a solid representation of her latest upcoming album ‘Thorns’.
Simply put, Emmrose spent her 17th year stuck inside her Manhattan bedroom. Much like the experience of the rest of the quarantine-inflicted world, the singer laments at the effects of the global pandemic and how school and social life was turned upside down. Speaking about her track, she felt as if life stopped suddenly in an open-ended fashion:
“I feel that I never really finished high school because I was in zoom-school all year. I felt that I grew as a person but didn’t get to show that to anyone. It was very frustrating for no one to see that. I was still upset with how everything happened with a particular friendship, and that I never had a chance to really talk one on one about how I felt. I don’t like holding grudges and I don’t want to have people thinking poorly about me. I was hoping to apologize, but New York shut down.”
This song encapsulates that feeling of longing with a thoughtful layered soundscape that brings Emm’s fragile, pure voice to the fore. ’17 Inside’ was originally written for piano. However, noting the strong influence of Taylor Swift’s ‘Folklore’ – producer and multi-instrumentalist Mike Abiuso encouraged layered vocals and intimate guitars. For the Groover Obsessions Artist, it’s important to write a song about a subject in order to get it off her mind and this pensive method is clear throughout, nodding to a further thoughtful upcoming album.
Photo: Yossi Sloane
Whilst nodding to the future, it’s useful to look back. Emmrose’s debut EP Hopeless Romantics was released one week before New York City entered the covid lockdown of 2020, and with all of her shows cancelled, she decided to perform weekly live streams from her home where she connected with thousands of kids in the world who took refuge with her music. Two years later, she has released 18 singles and her album ‘Hopeless Romantics’ won Best Pop Album in the 2020 WAM Awards.
With Emmrose, it’s clear that reflection on the past is integral. For her fans though, it’s more of an excited look to the future as the forthcoming ‘Thorns’ is sure to have ears pricked up.