See Emily Play has been called “the North’s answer to Kate Bush” which is quite the label. Does her music live up to the hype?

By Graeme Smith

Her new EP, STILL PLAYING, opens in driving style, combining Spaghetti Western riffs with lonesome chords and soaring vocals in the wonderfully-titled YOKO ONO WAS SEVEN YEARS OLDER THAN JOHN. Things get punchy in the chorus. There’s a certain cynicism in the lyrics that give the track some bite.

While that cynicism runs right through its four tracks, we get plenty of variation in its compositions. WHAT THE HELL IS BDD is cantering country rock while DO YOU LOVE ME is a pulsating love ballad full of heartache. Just when you think there can’t be anymore surprises, the EP is brought to a close by the gentle, lilting piano-led I’M BOWING OUT.

“I wrote and recorded the EP in what I’d call the ‘twilight years’ of my twenties,” says the Sheffield-born, Liverpool-based artist. “I think, for a lot of people, that stage of life can feel quite heavy. I wanted to make a record that felt light and said ‘I’m not quite ready to grow up, yet!’ There are serious moments on the EP, but mostly I just wanted to make something for myself and have fun doing it.”

That sentiment oozes through the music, meaning we, as listener, derive just as much fun as she evidently did. Sometimes, a sense of fun is all you need, but with STILL PLAYING we get so much more. We get twists, turns, surprises, and lyrics that will linger with you. Kate Bush is a hefty comparison, but if anyone can carry it, it’s See Emily Play.

STILL PLAYING was produced by Robert Whiteley and is out now. You can give it a listen below.