Fresh - Emily Jean Flack
London DIY punks Fresh have shared another track from their forthcoming new album, ‘Raise Hell’, out 1st July on Specialist Subject. New song 'Going to Bed’ acknowledges the uncertainty and tension of nursing a small crush but going ahead despite the fear and embracing all those ‘I don’t knows’.
“There’s a focus on self-love too, taking typical therapy clichés and self-soothing activities (trust myself more/light a candle etc) made into eerie, sacred rituals and manifesting your own safe space” says lead singer Kathryn Woods.
Fresh have been an unwavering fixture within the UK punk scene since their first record in 2017. A joy to behold live, Woods honed her craft not only fronting Fresh but as a member of several heralded indie and punk bands, including cheerbleederz and ME REX alongside Fresh bandmate Myles McCabe.
Their new album radiates with their signature mischievous British charm and flourishes of brilliant pop punk flair – though underestimate Fresh at your peril. ‘Raise Hell’ dares to dive deeper than most, delivering Woods’ darker moments and contemplative thought processes through the sharply focussed lens of upbeat indie punk.
Alongside the announcement of their new album, they shared lead single ‘Babyface’, a song written in early lockdown, “hence the ‘boredom’ refrain” says lead singer and songwriter Kathryn Woods (cheerbleederz, ME REX). “It’s a song about having a mind that’s both overstimulated and under-stimulated at the same time. The light, airy synths make it a cry for help masquerading as a pop song.” This is a sentiment that runs through much of ‘Raise Hell’ – the push and pull of conflicting emotions, wrestling with opposing personality traits, the tension between learning to self-love and yet wanting more.
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It’s about the collide. The light with the dark. The old with the new. Captivating audiences with her soaring voice, genre defying sound and honest words, Emily Jean Flack is an emerging artist on the Canadian music scene. “Growing up playing Celtic music gave me the fire. Listening to country and folk gave me the soul. Inspired by vocalists like Ella Fitzgerald, Celine Dion, Enya and Allison Krauss — I started to dream. Then I began to write and from there, things started to collide.”
Emily’s story really took off in 2016 when she moved to Limerick, Ireland. By day she was pursuing her MA in Traditional Irish Song at the Irish World Academy, part of the University of Limerick, and by night she was writing her own contemporary songs. She went on to connect with long-time friend and Belfast-based producer Pete Wallace to create what would become her debut contemporary folk EP, Throwing Shapes. The tracks feature a collection of some of Belfast’s most sought-after musicians, along with Irish traditional artists Brian Finnegan (Flook) and Marty Barry. The EP was mixed by Grammy Award-winning, legendary Canadian mixing engineer David Bottrill (Peter Gabriel). The success of Throwing Shapes brought Emily to perform at JUNOFEST 2019, along with several tours throughout Canada, France, Germany, and the USA, as both a solo and guest artist. Leading Irish music magazine, HotPress, described the project as a “modern and inventive take on Irish folk music.”
Carrying on in that same fashion, Emily has a new project on the horizon. Produced by Hamilton pop duo Family of Things , Emily is venturing further into the contemporary sphere. Listeners will hear more 80’s synth vibes, rich harmonies and guttural rhythms. Still, at the heart of her music are her Celtic roots and love for true melodies. The songs talk of love gained, love lost and a coming of age. “It was time to go a little deeper and get a little more vulnerable. This new music brought me to work with people who helped challenge me in the best of ways. People who were from my home and yet took me to places unrecognized. People who made me laugh and helped me make music that made me cry. When listening to this new collection of songs, know that I took a chance. Risked my comfort. If you find some moment of collision, I am glad. A moment where you either face familiarity or something different. Lean into it. The more I do, the more I realize that’s exactly why we’re here.”
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