Emmrose – The Gallows (2022)
Emmrose touches on a lot of different topics, from Imposter Syndrome to toxic relationships, while packing engaging melodies into our ears. She is now lamenting about old loves who still haunt your thoughts in ‘The Gallows’. If you are a hopeless romantic, this is a single that will break your heart, as the lyrics take us on a walk past old love barely glancing in your direction.
Drawing on her signature layered melodics that drenches her vocals in synths, she uses symbolism to reflect how our past relationships leave a mark on us. With a sound and songwriting ability that belies her youth, Emmrose invokes pained heartbreak that lingers long after the initial wound has healed. No newcomer to The Other Side Reviews, this single cements her place as an artist that you need to take note of.
Emmrose’s vocals tenderly open ‘The Gallows’ with a vulnerable step into a moment in her life. She has us walking with her down Park Avenue as she sees someone she used to love walking with someone new. This turns her thoughts to the ghosts of past relationships that haunt us, whether we want them to or not. There is a vulnerability to her performance that touches your soul and really tugs at your emotions. She has an undeniable ability to fill each word with emotion and in this single that emotion is the pain of being forgotten by people you used to love, while the scars they left on you remain. While there is a clear story in the opening verse, the lyrics take a more symbolic turn as the single continues bringing the wounds of heartbreak to life through the wonderful imagery. The characteristic layering of her vocals adds a depth to the single, particularly on the chorus.
As Emmrose draws us into a single moment and the imagery of the lyrics, there is an almost ambient sound that fills the opening of the melody. It is like the music is suspended in the moment, like a pause in breathing when something shocking happens. The synths flutter over this moment, leading you into the rest of the track. The melody has a rather chilled, yet nostalgic, feeling to it as it edges toward dreamy. It is a relatively stripped-back melody that allows her vocals to really shine, while bringing a rich depth to the single.
Tender, vulnerable and heartbreaking, ‘The Gallows’ cements Emmrose as an artist who is able to effortlessly tug at your emotions, while dropping you into a lyrical story. From the first second, her vocals bring a tender vulnerability to the consideration of how past loves haunt us through the scars they leave. Resting below her performance, the melody is equally tender, with a richness brought by the synths.
Find out more about Emmrose on her website, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Spotify.
