Monday 3 October 2022

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.

5 comments:

  1. Wow. That's right up my street... and just sent me down a rabbit hole of discovery. Thanks, Khayem.

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    1. Exactly what happened to me when the (at the time) only song I had of Emily's, from 2009, popped up on my playlist and prompted a "wonder what she's done since" search. I'm so glad I did. Sometimes there's gold at the the end of that rainbow.

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  2. Love this, Khayem. I remember your earlier post introducing me to Emily Breeze so seeing the name come up again I felt sure you'd have something equally good to offer! The video is fab too, and reminds me in places of the artwork of my artist friend Dale who was heavily into collage and outsider art but is sadly no longer around. As you say, well worth the wait. Do you think you'll get to any of the live shows?

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    1. Many thanks, C, it's one of my favourite songs from this year, no question. I'm not sure I'll make it to these live shows. Always a bit of a logistical juggle these days with family and work and I've two - hopefully three - gigs coming up this month. However, it looks like Emily's an active performer on the live circuit so I'm hoping I'll get my chance next year when the album comes out.

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    2. Oh, and I love your recent posts on Sun Dried Sparrows. I seem to be having tech troubles (cookies or some such) which means I'm struggling to leave comments on blogs - including this one! - and I usually run out of time trying to refresh and reboot before I have to log off and go to work. I will add a comment as soon as I can!

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