Emily Kinney – Swimteam
2023, Jullian Records
Like many out there, I first stumbled across Emily Kinney on
The Walking Dead. Her turn on
that show was intriguing, as her character, Beth, grew from a frightened child
into a warrior heart, and then she was gone.
I knew she had sung a few songs on the show, and thought she had a
decent voice, but didn’t think about it further. This past year I stumbled on a write-up of
one of the EPs she had released over the years and became intrigued. Over the course of a few months, I took in
four EPs and two albums and was amazed at what I heard.
Kinney writes with a passionate, diary-like gusto that is both
too much and never enough. Her lyrical
observations on relationships recall hours spent on the phone as a teenager
listening to friends pour their hearts out over the twists and terrors or love,
and yet… there is something incredibly
artful and poetic about it all. Kinney’s
voice is pritely and beautiful, and occasionally shrill in a child-like
way. She interprets her own experiences
and stories with a vibrant bard’s bearing, while never letting go the innocence
mission she lives in.
Songwriting is an art that is developed, and Kinney has
shown steady growth over the years. It’s
safe to say that with Swimteam, she has hit her full stride as an artist. Low-key but energy filled folk/pop rock
tracks hold sway here, and Kinney drives each song with her voice and
charisma. “B or C for Effort” is the
lead track, and a post-mortem on a relationship where everyone could have done
a lot better. The angst and observational
depth of Lisa Loeb mix with Kinney’s own special brand of magic to make this
the standout track of the album. There is
a lot of competition for that honor, however.
“Broken Air Conditioning” explores the realization that a relationship
is dying, with some wry humor to turn the storyteller’s wheel.
“Avett Brothers” muses on relationship keepsakes, while “Let
Me In” serves as the entryway into a relationship, but with a few
conditions. “Everything On TV” explores,
perhaps, the dichotomy of having career success while your personal life is
falling apart. All of these are told
from the highly personal angle that Kinney writes from. It’s startling at first, but endearing. Some of the details are comical, in the way
that only real life turns out to be.
Kinney will not bore you.
She doesn’t beat you over the head.
She writes and sings with finesse – with a storyteller’s ear, and
melodies that please the ear. It’s
highly consumable music with a bit of magic in the margins. Kinney has arrived as a songwriter, and is
stretching her wings on Swimteam. It
will be fascinating to hear what comes next.
Rating: 4 Stars (Out of 5)
Visit Emily Kinney at https://emilykinneymusic.com/
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