I have been following Emmett Kai since 2019’s excellent “Baby Hits“, and played him quite a few times on the DKFM radio show. It still is beyond me why someone as talented as Emmett is still so very underrated, as the guy clearly knows what he is doing. After the outstanding album “Freak Pop Novelty” in 2020, I must admit, I kinda lost track a bit, despite the output of some excellent singles that would pass me by from time to time.
I think I know where the problem lies though: Emmett seems to be inspired periodically by different influences/niches, and despite there being a trail of signature sound of suave 80’s-neon throughout, he is probably too inconsistent to maintain a steady fanbase. A clear example being the “Whale Milk” album from last year, which clearly is the result of an Ariel Pink phase in Emmett‘s life. Despite the fact that these “tribute”-like albums are musically without fault, they just will not cut it.
Moving on to his latest called “dream_speed“, we see yet another side to Emmett, this time an ambient side. Emmett appears to be hooking into the so-called liminal music wave that followed in the tracks of Vapour Wave a few years ago, lead by the likes of My Head Is Empty, Orchid Mantis and Salvia Path. Liminal music (core, pop you name it) is a blend of sounds created to accompany us in our liminal spaces or dreams and images thereof: washed out, vague, empty and uncanny like fleeting memories and faded photographs, often embellished by field recordings.
Emmett can do this pretty well, but the question is: what makes it stand out to what’s already been done? Well, for starters, it’s a bit less eerie, more uplifting, with the emphasis on dream more than empty . It’s got more guitar as a basis, which works magically with the washes of synths & strings. Everything here is in the right place and it just works.
So is this the future for Emmett Kai or just another side venture? I don’t know. All I know is that I could listen to “Cities in Orbit” on a loop forever. If I’d had to sift through tons of albums only to find a gem like this, it would be worth it! Just like “Hate That I love You“, “Fist Fight”, “Marigold“, “Jennifer Aniston” have never left rotation in my small world..
Please make an extended version of “Cities in Orbit“!! It’s is perfect bliss. It’s sunlight filtered through closed eyelids. It’s all that’s good in a world that is so wrong…
Even though you aren’t aware: you need Emmett Kai in your life, even if it is to temporarily get away from the madness and rekindle with bare beauty, look back and forward to better times. Please support the guy!
