What does Emma Bradley sound like?

Mellancholic alt-pop, often armed with a vocoder.

The review of ‘Winoa’s World’ by Emma Bradley

London-based Emma Bradley returns with her latest menu of alt-pop music, offering a sombre, atmospheric, and elusive world to explore. Emma describes the EP as “shadows of emotions”. It is a deeply introspective collection of songs and wisps of thoughts. Emma says:

“There is such a loneliness epidemic happening amongst the younger generations, especially amongst queer people or those struggling with mental health.”

Emma Bradley – photo by Hanifer Mohammad

As a result, the six-track EP passes by within a flash whilst leaving a chilly breeze in its wake. In under 15 minutes, Emma captivates and delivers. ‘Queen in your pocket’ opens the EP, led by Emma’s voice scoring thin, ethereal chords to sing over. It sets up an organic vocal collage that will be tampered with across the rest of the track. Following in Imogen Heap’s footsteps, ‘Bad Apple’ sees Emma warping and manipulating her vocals into a walking dead stooper. Wrinkling pianos and lonely violins seep in and out underneath the vocals whilst a harsh Portishead beat slaps you silly. The song feels malevolent, and the vocal warping makes each line sound untrustworthy.

“I’m just doing my best coz you can’t” declares Emma on ‘let me in’. Pitch-bent high register vocals sound like icy water cracking and bleeding out over violins, and eventually fluttery percussion. Both alien and comfortably numb, the song embraces the need for support and love whilst sounding like it needs a hug just as much. Comfortably numb percussion rumbles away on the more dream pop orientated ‘that door’. Intimate, empty, and searching, we move into the melodic piano-led instrumental of ‘wonderdog’s theme’. Sounding like it’s taken straight from an indie movie, the airy vintage strings and rustic piano charm with more empathy and warmth than the rest of the EP combined.

That leaves ‘serotonin skies’ as a dreamy, ethereal alt-pop gem to round off the release. All the hints we’ve heard across every proceeding track come into full bloom here. Between the unusual string and synth arrangements, the Gaussian blur guitar, vocoder effected vocals, and gut punch lyrics are at their best here. The EP works as a journey towards this moment of cathartic release. Emma Bradley’s slow and methodical approach lands beautifully, and it’s deeply affecting.

Emma said that when she wrote this EP, it felt like such a groundbreaking change for her that she wondered if she should change her artist name. Her intense intent and honesty blast through every noise and lyric like a crackle of electricity. It feels angular yet ethereal. Strange but inviting. Cold and yet full of yearning. It’s amazing what Emma Bradley has done in 15 short minutes, and I hope she continues down this honest, laid bare approach to music in the future.

Recommended track: serotonin skies

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