By: Karen Steinberg
Photo By Whitney Hensley
Q) You’re known for your signature rock sound to the music you make, but how would you describe your sound?
A) It’s hard to describe your own sound without it sounding like a resume, but I think of it as raw and melodic at the same time – heavy guitar, real drums, songs that have something to say. I grew up on classic rock, Motown and punk but I also love a big pop hook, so there’s always that tension between grit and melody pulling at each other.
Q) Who are some of your musical influences?
A) Pat Benatar, Linda Rondstadt, Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath, Queens of the Stone Age, Tracy Bonham.
Q) Talk about the story behind your new song “Lips.”
A) Gavin [Brown] sent me some riffs and this one was so rad to me. The guitar part stabs were so 80s but the tone was so 90s that it made me really want to write over it. Something about the music mentally put me in some kind of dirty dance hall where you see someone across the room and just can’t stop thinking about them or looking for them the entire night.
Q) What do you think it is about the song that fans connect to?
A) I think it’s the tension in it. There’s something that feels urgent and a little dangerous, but underneath that there’s real vulnerability. People connect to that push and pull or wanting something you maybe shouldn’t or that costs you something
Q) How did you come to connect with Jesse Hughes for a feature on the track?
A) Neil [Sanderson] from Judge & Jury is good friends with Jesse and I’ve been such an EODM fan since I can remember, so it ultimately came from the label. But Jesse is such a great guy and an inspiration to be around. It was a blast writing with him.
Q) What is your song writing process? Do you need music before you can create lyrics?
A) It’s different every time, honestly. Sometimes a riff or a drum groove pulls a whole idea out of me before I think of lyrics. Other times a phrase or a feeling comes first and the music follows. “Lips” came together a certain way. Gavin had this great guitar part that reminded me a lot of 80s rock, like Pat Benatar and Eddie Money. So, I looped it over and over and wrote the main chorus line pretty quickly and the rest followed.
But I try not to be precious about the process. Whatever gets the song written.
Q) Gavin Brown worked on production for “Lips,” but how much of a say do you have in the production of your music?
A) I have a ton of say, which is awesome. The dynamic I have with Gavin is kind of a dream in that way. I let him do his thing because I trust that he knows what works and he lets me call the shots at the end of the day. But our tastes are so similar that a lot of times we end up wanting the same exact things. Even down to the same mic on the snare.
Q) With “Lips” out now, is this a prelude to a full album or an EP?
A) I’m looking at releasing an album in the near future, but the release plans at the moment are very single/double song focused.
Q) You have been out on tour supporting Yungblud and The Warning. As a badass guitar player, what can fans expect from a live Emily Wolfe performance?
A) Everything. I don’t do subtle live. I want people to feel it physically with the volume, the energy, the guitar work. I want them to leave feeling like something happened to them.
Q) Where are some of your favorite places to perform and what makes those locations so significant to you?
A) Baltimore is my favorite. That’s the first place that really grabbed onto my stuff outside of Austin where I’m from.
Q) Who would you most like to collaborate with on a song in the future?
A) Probably something out of left field from the genre I’m used to. I’d love to throw a really melodic guitar riff on a Doja Cat or Sza song.
Q) What artist/musician are you currently listening to and why do you dig them?
A) Brian Fallon – He’s one of my favorite song writers of all time.
Middle Kids – I love the vocal melodies so much
Demob Happy – The tones are some of the best I’ve heard
Metric – I’m loving their new record
Q) What would you like to say to everyone who is a fan and supporter of you and your work?
A) Just thank you, sincerely. This music exists because people keep showing up for it and I don’t take that lightly. I make music I believe in and hope it means something to somebody. When it does, that means everything.