Alongside a forthcoming show at the Queen Elizabeth Hall on 19th July and a string of festival dates, Emmy The Great will release the new Edward EP on 10th August on her own Close Harbour label.
The Edward EP sees Emmy and her band revisit some older songs, recently rekindled on the road and recorded for inclusion on a deluxe edition of her debut album instores from the end of July. Emmy, “When we were touring the album, people kept asking for these songs and they developed into encores… we did the EP with those fans in mind”.
The four song EP features tracks written early in Emmy’s career, but only recently recorded, returning to earlier muses with engineer Adam Beach - responsible for her very first demo more then three years ago – and artist Edward Fornelies who lends his name to the release, as well as his image to the cover. The EP’s tracks Edward, Bowl Collecting Blood, Two Steps Forward and Canopies all include cultural and emotional references of a girl growing up; unique to the time of writing and notably different from the sessions for her recent album.
“Recording this EP brought back a lot of memories of when songwriting was done on a whim, and before anything got even remotely serious, and it's brought a lot of joy back into my songwriting now,” recalls Emmy, “Siouxsie Sioux once said when she sings her old songs she recognises that they were naive, but she stands by them, and I feel the same way.”
Emmy The Great will appear at the following festivals this summer: Glastonbury Festival, Secret Garden, Indietracks Festival, Big Chill, Kendal Calling, Summer Sundae and Green Man Festival.
Critical acclaim for Emmy’s debut album First Love:
“Emmy’s startlingly pure voice is a vehicle for some smart, candid and subversive lyrics….” UNCUT ****
“..songs that are precise, literate and touching…..a rich debut that provokes fresh thoughts with each listen.” Q****
“A wonderful album” – THE SUNDAY TIMES ****
“Sifting for emotions amid the cultural debris of our lives.” – THE TIMES ****
“Acutely observed, barbed and yet self-deprecating” – TIME OUT ****
“…while other starlets and their Grade 1 piano skills get their five minute, Emmy The Great’s got what it takes to endure. Hallelujah!” NME
“As disarmingly matter-of-fact as it is idiosyncratic, First Love is very fine indeed.” – PLAN B