Emily Breeze - Rapture 
Release Date: Out Now
Bristol's queen of dark pop, Emily Breeze, is back with her immense new album 'Rapture' and, if you're quick, you might just be able to catch her on the tail end of her tour. The LP gets going with recent single 'Ordinary Life' which mixes early U2 guitar sounds, spoken word delivery and Pulp's sense of kitchen sink nostalgia. 'The Bell' kicks the pace up a notch or two with a garage punk beat and Breeze's powerful but moody vocal ringing out like a mix of Iggy Pop and Florence Welch. The opening bass line on 'Oh, Anna Nicole' is so low and menacing that it sounds like an engine humming ominously in the alley while Breeze laments the life and loss of Anna Nicole Smith in all her overblown American glory.
The superbly titled 'Dancing With The Rats' is a modern Disney song where Cinderella or Sleeping Beauty makes a dress from the bin bags and the cockroaches hang daintily from her ears like earrings. Former single 'Confessions of an Aging Party Girl' brings the 80s inspired moody indie vibes before 'Part Of Me' takes us on a lazy walk along the river discussing witness protections schemes, Dylan and Bo Diddly. This is a real treat of an album that takes us on a number of different journeys and the 50s themed swoon of 'Cosmic Evolution' is a harp strewn turn around a ballroom dappled in mirrorball reflections and end-of-the-night sadness.
'Turn Me On' starts with the line "Smokers and drinkers are a dying breed" and it's so refreshing to hear words like that delivered with a sense of sadness rather than smug healthiness as Breeze dreams of going to Vegas and escaping the humdrum. Another great song title comes around in the shape of 'Chelsea Satanist' which finds our heroine in smoky, sultry form as the guitar lazily meanders in to the night with a drunken gait. The album finishes on 'Hey Kidz' which returns to the Pulp influence and a little Long Blondes for good measure as the drums and intense seaside organs reach fever pitch together. In a world where so many female solo artists are opting for the low key and lo-fi, Emily Breeze is staking a claim for the more overt and bold side of music and I, for one, am willing to give that kind of energy a standing ovation. Bravo, Emily. Bravo indeed.
More information: https://www.facebook.com/emily.breeze.7
Live Dates:
25th February - Club Kongo, Taunton
26th February - Le Pub, Newport
3rd March - The Donkey, Leicester
4th March - The Dark Horse, Birmingham
11th March - All Hallows Hall, Bristol w/Wilderman + Milkie + DJ Heidi Heelz
26th March - The Grace, London
2nd April - The Prince Albert, Brighton
24th June - A Beautiful Day Out @ Canon's Marsh Amphitheatre, Bristol w/The Levellers + The Selector + Black Grape + Goldie Lookin Chain and more!