The depth of Emma Hewitt’s artistry is on full display as she returns in the roles of singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and co-producer on her astonishing new album, Ghost Of The Light.
From its inception, Emma has been artistic master and servant to her second longform. Involved in every step of the creation from co-writing all songs and playing a multitude of instruments on the record, right through to taking the co-production reins and shooting her own music videos, Emma has been singularly focused with every aspect of bringing her creative vision to life.
Mixed by the legendary Alan Moulder (Smashing Pumpkins, Killers, Beach House, NIN, Wet Leg) alongside Will Brierre (The Killers, Stevie Nicks) and mastered by John Davis (Lana Del Rey, London Grammar, Florence & The Machine), the lush sonics of ‘Ghost’ will be available on sumptuous 140-gram red, limited-edition vinyl. Alongside its digital/streaming and CD formats, the vinyl release is available to pre-order here. [https://blackhole.lnk.to/ghostofthelight]
To fall in love with ‘Ghost Of The Light’ is as simple as clicking Play. Those seeking to experience all it offers though will want to dive deeper into Emma’s lyrics and private universe. The album’s title, ‘Ghost Of The Light’, is Emma’s meditation on memories and how they shape us: those instantly recalled, the dreams half-remembered and the fragmented reminiscences, just beyond our reach, but always with us somehow. Emma channelled all of this into a collection of introspective, intimate songs, and ones that may yet inform her future.
On cuts like the cinematic ‘Into My Arms’ and comforting ‘Everlasting’, Emma addresses more contemporary memories, specifically those involving (either through distance or circumstance), separation. Contrastingly, ‘Collide’ and ‘Children’ have their inspirational bedrock in her formative years as tributes to the beauty and simplicity of early friendships. ‘Raindrop’ tackles more coming-of-age moments, specifically ones where a fork in the road has been reached, whilst ‘Warrior’ contemplates the lengths we’ll go to protect those closest to us. Emma’s crystalline vocals are the constant as she narrates us through her history and inner landscape.
“Ghost Of The Light is an ode to the persistence of memory and to the people, places and moments that make us who we are and stay with us long after they’ve gone. Ghosting us in their watery light; they remain almost close enough to touch, but always just beyond our reach. I made this album largely in my home studio and it felt like a meditation. I was driven by a curiosity and desire to look inwards to the quiet corners of my heart and memory and to walk those corridors a while. By diving into the memories, I’ve come to understand that the people, places and dreams we have known, loved, regretted, and yearned for are never far away; they travel with us always; gently lighting our way along sleepless roads.”
As the album moves into its second phase, the tone shifts again. First appearing on the original soundtrack for the movie VANish, ‘Fallen’s song doesn’t blink in the face of hard questions. Dealing with desensitisation in the modern world, it ponders “what do we become if we don’t feel?”. While most of the album’s tracks focus on individual aspects of Emma’s ‘Ghost Of The Light’ idiom, ‘Satellites’ is its 360. Per Emma, “it’s about the distant glow of the memories and people you cannot leave behind.” Seen though through the lens of past mistakes, ‘Ties’ returns to the theme of connective bonds, and becomes a pensive yin to ‘Children’s unbridled yang. Adding a meta songwriting aspect to the album, ‘Holding Out For You’ confronts the thirst for inspiration, when it feels like the well has run dry.
The last track to be recorded for ‘Ghost’ is indeed almost its swansong. Lyrically, ‘The River’, says Emma, is “a tribute to an old love – a letter to someone who will probably never receive the message, but their memory needs to be honoured anyway.”
This being her first album since 2012’s ‘Burn The Sky Down’, Emma’s clearly not an artist to approach the form lightly. It is an undertaking that mind, voice and soul has to be utterly committed to. A profound attempt to draw a line between Emma-then and the Emma-now, its insights will resonate with fans of all ages. ‘Ghost Of The Light’ is available to pre-order/save from today here [https://blackhole.lnk.to/ghostofthelight].