Somehow It Was Always The End Of The Summer

Ordinary Life, the new single by Emily Breeze was officially out on 23rd September but I wanted to hang on until the video was released on Friday. It was well worth the wait, an animated explosion of collage, images cut out and customised, with Emily and the band's heads popping up at frequent intervals. 

 

I enthused about Emily's music in July and Ordinary Life is another song that's had my attention from the start, a driving beat, shimmering guitar and synth washes and Emily effortlessly switching from sprechsang verses to a beautifully poised chorus. And the lyrics demand a deep dive, rewarding repeated reading.

 

Back then rent was cheap in the wrong parts of town 

You could walk into almost any place and get a cash in hand job 

I was a terrible waitress 

And an even worse singer 

But I didn't care

 I just knew 

Something bigger, brighter, better was on its way 

Someone was gonna spot me walking down Stokes Croft and say 

Hey kid, I’m gonna make you a star 

And whisk me away into my glittering future 

Twenty years later, I’m still waiting 

But do you know what? 

 

There's nothing wrong with an ordinary life 

 

We had widescreen, high definition surround sound love affairs 

And low budget B movie one night stands 

Somehow it was always the end of the summer 

And we dragged ourselves through the streets at dawn 

To our days jobs and dole office appointments 

Fueled on weapons grade hope and uncut dreams 

And the days went by, and the days went by 

And the days went by like strobe lights 

 

There's nothing wrong with an ordinary life 

 

One day you will find yourself at a friend's 40th birthday party 

Wondering how the days turned into decades and if anyone still does drugs 

And you will dance, dance off the minutes and the moments 

And magic and the misery and the miracles and monotony 

As you unfurl into infinity among the solar systems and galaxies 

A dopamine driven pinball machine studded with hair and nails and teeth 

Hard wired with desire and fear and dreams hosted by the ghost of a memory of a memory

Of a memory, of a memory, of a memory, of a memory, of a memory, of a memory, of a memory

 

There's nothing wrong with an ordinary life

 

Ordinary Life has already picked up some great reviews and repeated plays on BBC6 Music by the likes of Craig Charles, Amy Lamé and Steve Lamacq. Third album Rapture is due in February 2023 and, if Ordinary Life is anything to go by, it'll be an absolute corker.

 

Emily has a few live dates coming up in Bath, Bristol and Southampton. You can buy/stream/follow Ordinary Life on various platforms and buy previous album Rituals from Sugar Shack Records and other friendly neighbourhood record stores.