Emily Gray – England (2022)
If you have ever had to leave your home for a prolonged period, you have probably felt homesickness at some point. This is something that Emily Gray is intimately familiar with and taps into with her single ‘England’. Reflecting on the feelings that hit you as soon as you return home, she explores the pain of homesickness and the conflicting emotions of being back.
Drawing on her own homesickness which was made worse by the pandemic, she fuses introspective lyrics with atmospheric soundscapes to truly capture a breadth of emotion. With a constantly evolving musical style, she highlights a sense of refinement in this single. Using her distinct folk style, she creates poetic lyrics that are easy to fall into.
‘England’ reaches out through the warps of the opening. There is an expansive feeling to those opening tones that gain an earthier and folkier feel when the guitar hits. The almost tentative search of the opening gives way to a clapping and foot-tapping liveliness in the chorus. Across the verses, the melody is packed with a forward momentum that is tinged with an uneasiness of the reception you will get when you get back home. It is a complex mixture of emotions that anyone who has been away from home for a long time can connect with. Later in the track, there is a building anxiety and tension that comes through the drums, leaving a tightness in your stomach. Everything drops except a clap and the drums bring a moment of anticipation before you are swept back into the turbulent emotions. While packed with churning emotions, there is a light that shines through it all, leading you to the happiness of being home.
The emotions that have been masterfully threaded into the melody are picked up by the vocals and given a sense of context through the lyrics. Gray’s vocals are tentative as she enters with a question of her welcome and whether the streets she knew will still be the same. This leads you to a chorus that really showcases the power of her vocals. Throughout the single, there is an acknowledgement that home may have changed, but so have you. This brings a touch of bittersweet emotion that is easily washed away by the happiness of being home. Later in the track, there is a serious build of nerves through the repetition of the lyrics, before the joy of just being where you belong comes rushing back. It is a really great single that leaves you feeling lighter for having heard it and wanting to shout with Gray on the chorus.
Taking the complex emotions of homesickness and the joy of being back home, Emily Gray unleashes a powerful single that sweeps you into the anxiety and euphoria of coming home in ‘England’. The melody starts the emotional journey with a tentative searching feeling that moves into a wonderful forward momentum. Her vocals are powerful on the chorus yet cautious through the verses, showcasing her range and abilities.
Find out more about Emily Gray on her Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Spotify.
