Sounds like…
Honest and purist acoustic origins for future doom rock anthems.
The review
Emma Ruth Rundle is no stranger to stripped back music and it’s something she wholeheartedly embraced in her recent album “Engines of Hell”. “Orpheus Looking Back” are tracks that were recorded as part of those sessions that didn’t make the album. A short trio of tracks clocking in at nine minutes is a brief insight into the musical process of Emma Ruth Rundle and that’s all you need to be captivated by her craft.
These songs are not castoffs, they all feel slightly different to the overall mood of “Engines of Hell”. With the rootsy but complex guitar craft of “Glided Cage”, you have a dark desert dust that feels more bombastic and at the same time more ballad-like than anything from the album. That is a sentence that is at war with itself but “Engines of Hell” held a very steady drone-like pace with chords and notes. This is far more fluid. The same could be said for the gentle “St. Non” which has a playful skip to its acoustic guitar. Emma’s higher register is beautifully captured with all its angelic fragility. She doesn’t use it often but when she does, like in this track, it floors you with its clean honesty. “Pipe Organ Song” wraps up the EP with a haunting dark folk dirge. It’s more like something you’d find from Emily Jane White and is a unique entry into Emma’s catalogue.
Long term fans should not ignore this short but beautiful collection. New fans could start here but know that literally everything else outside of this EP and the “Engine of Hell” album is electrically charged. What is undeniable is that all Emma Ruth Rundle’s music is emotionally charged and that means this EP is well worth your time and money.
Recommended track: Glided Cage
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Emma Ruth Rundle - Orpheus Coming Back