teenage dream / back of a car is out everywhere !
Hello ghosts and gremlins,
Thank you so much for the love on 'teenage dream / back of a car' already! If you haven't yet listened (or if you want to listen again), you can find it on your preferred platform at the links below!
Stream it on Spotify here
Stream it on Apple Music here
Stream it on Soundcloud here
Purchase it on Bandcamp here
Or search it up on whatever other music platform you use!
I've never had a summer love like the movies (if you can keep a secret, I've never been to Arizona... or made out with anyone in the back of a car for that matter). The older I get, the more I realize that most of us don't? I think it's a mistake to take movies as a sort of guidebook for human behavior, but nevertheless I am enthralled with the concept.
The hot summer love affair. Long road trips and endless nights. Getting away from it all. The sense of summer freedom that is always just beyond your grasp, begging to be in your fingers but never quite landing in your palm.
Is it weird that even in my imagination, the person I love still doesn't fully love me all the way back?
Even in my imagination there is still that one sidedness. The not-quite-requited. The awareness of the delusion coexisting with the denial of it. The longing for something I know is doomed, temporary. The teenage desperation to hold on to something even though you know it won't last.
tell me I'm your one and forever, even if that's not what you really mean
I wanted to create something really atmospheric to set the scene, something cinematic and sensual and heartachey. There's a lot of sonic influence pulled from that 2014 tumblr era of indie music (Lana in particular), which was when I was exiting my teenage years. Even in a song ostensibly about car make-outs and summer affairs, though, I can not escape my propensity towards yearning. It's the feeling most accessible to me always, the closest thing I have to some sort of brand.
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If you want to read someone ELSE'S words about tdboc, the blog "Mystic Sons" had the kindest things to say about my lil tune!!! You can check out their review here.
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Apologies that this one is a bit delayed! I've been a bit overwhelmed this month and this newsletter unfortunately fell to the bottom of my priorities, which is a shame because I do really love writing you. As much as I try to prepare myself for release week every time, I run into a wall because of how many hats I have to juggle. It is just me myself and I doing all of the elements- I develop and run my own press campaigns; curate my own art direction and branding; plan, create, and post all my own social media; manage my own booking; on top of writing, recording, and producing the songs themselves. (Not to mention also running my entire full time freelance day job by myself and all that comes with that) Ah!!! It all makes me need a nap.
me with my too many hats LOL
I've been working on new demos, though, with the goal of sending them out to smaller labels to see if I can get some of these responsibilities lifted off my back so I can focus on the ones I do love doing!!
Collaboration is definitely something I've been missing in my artistic life. I was able to bring my friend Declan along to my New York Botanical Garden gig over the holiday weekend to play cajon and tambourine, and it was so so so nice to make music with them. Am on the hunt for a band!!
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Art I've Been Loving Lately
Only thing on my mind this week is the new The 1975 album!!! 10/10 perfect album top to bottom, makes me excited to make music again. Sorry to Harry Styles, you have been demoted from Top Celebrity Crush and replaced by other British-singer-boy-with-dark-curly-hair Matty Healy. Such is life. I'm so excited to see them play Madison Square Garden next month.
The podcast Tape Notes has also been a good find. (The 1975 were the most recent guest) Producers and artists come in and break down the production and recording process from demo to master and it's really inspiring! I love music.
I'm glad you're here!!
spookily yours,
Em
PS: If you followed me around this time last year on tiktok or instagram, you might've saw me post about this vampire song demo I made. Decided to clean up the demo a bit and put it up on the streaming platforms since 'tis the season- so you can listen to that anywhere starting on Monday the 24th hehe ;)