EMILY C. SMITH – EP REVIEW

Emily C. Smith – Far From Judd 
Emily C. Smith - Far From Judd EP


Release Date: Out Now

I don’t go much for genres but Emily C. Smith’s self-certification as a ‘Death Folk’ artist has me hooked pretty much straight away. This shiny new EP from the Londoner kicks off with ‘Don’t Leave Me Alone’ and I already love death folk as a genre. Processed beats, roomy guitars and a primal wail that Polly Jean would give a respectful nod to all mingle together to make a lo-fi but thoroughly enthralling tune with a grunge heart and so much soul it hurts. ‘Slow Death’ is more jaunty but the guitars are still buzzsaw sexy, so much so that this deserves a brightly coloured, 90s inspired video filmed on super-8 and featuring a number of musicians in an open topped car.

On ‘I Have No Use For You’, Smith explores the death element of her genre with the chugging, moody guitars and her attitude rich snarl evoking sonic images of Patti Smith, Anna Calvi, Belly and a classier version of Courtney Love. The EP closes with ‘Burn’ which is a far more sedate affair with elements of Teenage Fanclub and the Lemonheads to the lackadaisical guitar strum. Emily C. Smith is one of the most rounded, talented and vital artists I’ve heard in a long time and I’ve listened to a lot of artists in my time. The funny thing is, when I first wrote that last sentence, I instinctively put ‘female’ in the description but on reflection it’s completely unnecessary – this is an artist who transcends both gender and genre. Stick that in you pigeon hole and smoke it.


9th September – EP Launch @ The Harrison, London

21st October – Hope & Anchor, London