ALBUM REVIEW: EMILY KING, "THE SWITCH"

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Emily King “switched” it up for her sophomore album, The Switch, moving from a stint at J Records to her own independent record label, Making Music Records, producing favorable results. The album is a classic, a timeless mixture of innovative instrumentals and her soft yet poignant voice. GBSTL has a breakdown of what to expect when it drops Friday, June 26.*


There are many musical themes on the album to note; song structure is one. Many of the songs start off simply and build production-wise. Take “Out of the Clouds;” The sound doesn’t start how it ends; acoustics build to add in harmony and keyboard; At times there is dramatic suspense, which simplifies when Emily sings of not letting windows of opportunity pass by ["There is an opening, darling/ It might not stay there way too long/ Don't let it go..."]. Also, “For Them,” a dedication to her parents, starts off with beats with the hand to an acoustic guitar and an addition of light harmonies in the refrain.

Many songs don't have traditional structure, like “Believer,” and “The Switch,” the former a 80's-pop-esque tune with quick strums on the synthesizer and electric guitar; the latter, on acoustics, a song expressing the unwanted turning on and off love depending on the circumstances. “Off Center” falls in the same category, building on a three-note base with electric guitar, approaching to fullness in the chorus.

Once can hear the choir-like echo acoustics of “Aya” and “Distance,” “Aya” based upon guitar and “Distance” piano, the latter a slow dance jam based on distance making the heart grow fonder. “Sleep-Walker” also has these acoustics, along with a jamming bass, and electro groove, and a keyboard “trance” at the end. Emily implies with the lyrics that she can’t help but find herself around a special someone ["Ooh I feel my body/ Moving that way again/ Ooh like a sleepwalker/ getting closer to him..."].

While one can hear the bass and the soulful electric guitar on “Good Friend,” there is also an airy ethereal quality to be noted as well.  “Animals” is about not fraternizing with adversaries, sporting full harmonies on the chorus, and on “Already There” there is a slower guitar, sparking the imagination of fields and mountains, with a precise sound cutoff at the end.

This maturation in sound for Emily has birthed an intricate piece of art.--GB

*Emily King's album The Switch is now streaming at WSJ