Emily Warren is the singer/songwriter that you need to get to know. She’s released her debut album, Quiet Your Mind, today and CelebMix break it down for you.
Not heard of Emily Warren? Well, do you know Charli XCX’s ‘Boys’? Sean Paul & Dua Lipa’s ‘No Lie? Little Mix’s ‘No More Sad Songs’? Dua Lipa’s ‘New Rules? Practically any The Chainsmoker’s hit? Then you know Emily Warren.
The songwriter has been behind all of those and more, her Wikipedia credits is quite the read, but is now stepping into the spotlight. Quiet Your Mind is a pretty flawless debut record that deserves the recognition of all those tracks we’ve just named. Emily Warren knows exactly what she is doing when it comes to pop music.
It’s an album “about love; wanting love, fearing love, finding, learning, living in and losing love,” she announced on an Instagram post. That’s no understatement, Quiet Your Mind is an exploration of love that works so well thanks to Warren’s ability to transform emotion into music…
‘How It Ends’
What’s clear from the off, is that Quiet Your Mind is going to be a story of love found, love lost and everything in between. As Warren opens on ‘How It Ends’, a song showcasing your favourite Emily Warren flicks and tricks you love on songs you didn’t even know she wrote, she’s whittled a love interest down to a “bro” already as he desperately clings on. Warren’s already decided it’s a losing game, despite her lover’s pleas of “are you sure you wanna skip that far ahead?”. It’s brilliantly clever pop.
‘The Point’
The uncertainty of love takes centre stage in the playful pop of ‘The Point’. “What if the point is him? … And what if the point is not?” Warren muses breezily in a track completely different sonically from the opener.
‘Say It’
Opening with the very ‘à la mode’ simple guitar riffs of today’s biggest hits, Warren strips it back for ‘Say It’. It’s a pondering frustration on second-guessing a relationship, “you’ve still got time to change your mind so just be honest,” she prods. She’s sounds great on this one.
‘Poking Holes’
‘Poking Holes’ has been around for nearly a year now, and gets better with every listen. Warren’s painstaking realism leads the ballad’s chorus of “don’t blame the liquor for the things you say that you don’t mean” and, ultimately, “you’re poking holes in you and me”.
‘Something To Hold On To’
One of the standouts from Quiet Your Mind, Warren continues on from ‘Poking Holes’ with another slower ballad. Where the failings of a relationship were played off with the wink of the production on the likes of ‘How It Ends’ and ‘The Point’, there’s a sardonic feeling behind the thumping drums of ‘Something To Hold On To’. “You should know the shooting pain that hits me in the chest” she murmurs, a more vulnerable side to her vocals shining through, as Warren begs for “something to hold on to”. This is a tough listen, but this girl knows how to crack a heartbreaking pop track.
‘Click’
The production of this track is nothing short of phenomenal. Warren has admitted this is one of the album songs written for other people, at a stage of her career where she had written of being the leading artist herself. It’s a fun and easy listen, with an ear worm of a chorus, particularly reminiscent of The Chainsmokers’ work on their debut album Memories… Do Not Open (which Warren played a key role on).
‘As Long As I’m Alive’
It’s a shame summer is over, because the airy strums of ‘As Long As I’m Alive’ are begging to be played on a long hot day. The heartbreak is momentarily forgotten. Warren speaks of “living in” love, as well as losing it, and her commitment to “love you, at least as long as I’m alive” leads the way on this track.
‘Like That’
As soon as the guitar riffs open ‘Like That’ on their own, it’s clear this is a change of the direction. Warren is done with the second guessing and worrying about other competition for her suitors. There’s an almost Latin feel to her taunting that “you’ll never know him like that”. This one is single material.
‘Paranoid’
‘Paranoid’ is Emily Warren down to a tee, this is how to write a pop track. The simple first chorus leaves you hanging on to the songwriter’s every word, before her vocals are given an electronic echo for the light chorus. Once the second verse is building, the percussion-led bridge thumps in and drops out before a final flourish. It’s simple and so effective; this is why Warren is so highly regarded in the industry.
‘Hurt By You’
“I hope you don’t hurt me, but if you do, it will be worth getting hurt by you”. Hope is at the forefront of ‘Hurt By You’, a heartfelt determination to make things work with a lover who is failing to meet Warren’s expectations.
‘Not Ready To Dance’
The other of the two tracks not intentionally penned for herself, ‘Not Ready To Dance’ is one of Warren’s favourites on the album. It’s the most stripped back moment on Quiet Your Mind and a personal moment to close off the record. It’s an acceptance that getting over heartbreak can take time, and being okay with that. “The hardest part of moving on, is when someone is offering their hand to me,” she admits, not ready to look for love elsewhere. It’s the perfect closing to Quiet Your Mind. An acceptance that love doesn’t always last, a recognition of what you feel after a heartbreak and a knowledge that the time to move on will come soon.
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