What does Emilie Zoé sound like?

Emotional rustic rock that has a homemade edge to it.

The review of Emilie Zoé – Hello Future Me The Companion EP

I was a huge fan of ‘Hello Future Me‘ which landed earlier this year. It propelled Emilie Zoé into my musical galaxy as a singer-songwriter who curates quirky and catchy hooks dressed in bedroom rock aesthetics. Everything sounds a bit homemade like it is recorded to tape. You can hear the room noise but it adds to Emilie’s musical charm in a way that Tune-yards embraced bedroom pop in their studio albums. This companion EP feels right at home with the ‘Hello Future Me’ era of Emilie Zoé and continues to spread her rock style. You might consider this a b-side collection perhaps but nothing here feels like it should have gone near the scrap heap.

One of the things that drew me to Emilie’s music was its muddy grungy approach. This comes out in full force with tracks like ‘Castle’ where a bombastic riff boomerangs between a couple of chords like a contorted elastic band. It’s visceral, heavy and pacey. Heavy for a different reason is ‘Little Hand’. Emilie pitches a toy piano and electric guitar together for a creepy quieter track. The weight of the chords and vocals veering into conflicting, angsty chords as the melody gently plinks away is beautifully done. Emilie Zoé also tries her hand at shoegaze with ‘Save the World’. This track flips from a catchy but standard sounding rock track into a blazing wall of guitar noise and dramatic organs. Hidden in the mix are soothing vocal ‘oohs’ as if to soothe the pain of the sudden audio attack. It’s like Lisa Germano in rage mode.

Elsewhere, rustic depressive rock rings out with the dusty organ-backed rock of ‘Dinosaurs’. Musicians like Johanna Warren have another peer in the angst-folk-turns-rock camp. Rounding out the album is brooding piano-based ‘The Field’that harks back to the early gothic piano folk that Emilie Zoé first announced herself with. It’s great to hear that side isn’t totally gone either as her ethereal presence and production shine through with her ghostly backing vocals everpresent.

As a companion EP, this is a wonderful addition to Emilie Zoé’s catalogue. If you are looking for a new emotionally charged singer-songwriter, Emilie Zoé is one of Switzerland’s most promising. She may have been making music for many years but I feel like this year has really put her on the musical map. Her blend of ghostly folk and tense rock allows her to run riot from huge anthems to moody séance and anything in between. The future looks very bright indeed.

Recommended track: Castle

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