Edinburgh singer-songwriter Emma Miller showcases her sincere and immersive appeal on her debut album I Want to Be the Anchor
An artist who is fiercely independent and fully intent on doing things on her own terms, Emma Miller has pushed back at the current state of the music industry and its trends by withholding the second half of her debut album I Want to Be the Anchor, offering the first half through streaming services but only making the second half available to people who own it (You can find a link to purchase the album yourself HERE).
The album opens with the stunning ‘Siren’, a track that is packed full of a quiet warmth and the deliberate, slow-burning appeal that the album is built upon, immediately establishing it as a body of work that is built to serve as a powerful, all-encompassing listening experience and not something intended to chase trends, but instead offer something human and real, something that she masterfully achieves throughout.
‘Sinking’ follows, a track that explores the feeling of waiting to truly hit your stride and come into your own, surrounded by feelings like fear and the impending horror of being trapped and inhibited from your real potential. It makes for a compelling listen that really strikes a chord with you as a listener, with many of us feeling like we’re “yet to blossom”, waiting for our time.
There is a real sense of vulnerability and heart throughout the album, with ‘Breathe’ offering a real showcase of that, with the artist examining what seems like a failed relationship and having to compose herself and take a minute to get steadied in its chorus. It makes for a track that feels endearingly human and raw, and acts as a reminder of just how much Emma wears her heart on her sleeve on her releases.
The artist’s expressive imagery come to the fore on the immersive ‘Late September’, a track that has an almost transformative feel to it as a listen as the artist offers evocative assessments of her thoughts and feelings that paint a vivid picture of worlds colliding and emotions burning against an increasingly rousing soundscape that feels captivating throughout.
The emotional centerpiece of the release comes in its moving title track ‘I Want to Be the Anchor’, a track that explores the artist’s realisation that she wants to have children someday, taking an introspective look at what that means for her. It offers some of the most vulnerable and powerful moments on an album that is packed full of vulnerability, with the stripped-back soundscape serving to elevate this and make it feel even more impactful, honing in on the emotion of the vocals and lyrics.
The final part of the widely available half of the album comes in the form of ‘Take My Hand’, a poignant and potent track that serves as a message of solidarity and kinship. The strings and depth of the instrumentation make for this really full and warm feel musically that echoes the kind nature of the lyrics, and it makes for a track that is easy to fall in love with and find strength within.
The second part of the album kicks off in intense fashion in the form of ‘Forgiveness’, a track that sees the artist reckoning with some of the experiences from her past, with an appropriate amount of bite and passion in her vocals as she looks to exorcise these demons and move past them in compelling fashion. The atmospheric nature of the sound and her typically thoughtful and considered lyrics make for a track that is bursting with cathartic and resonating appeal.
There is a delicate and soft nature to ‘How It Begins’, a track that melds lush keys with soft synths to potent effect, eventually growing into a fully-formed sound that swells and grows over time in a way that feels natural and earned.
The trademark warmth that I feel like I’ve mentioned a thousand times already on this album is back on the charming ‘I’ll Come To You’, a track that sees Emma pledging to put the work in in a way that feels sincere and engrossing throughout. The authentic and organic feel of the album is what really sets it apart and makes it feel special, and this track is another shining showcase of that.
The sound of rainfall immediately sets to tone for the albums penultimate track, ‘Seasons’, a track that explores the shifting weather and moods that come across the year and the different ways that it effects us and how we’re feeling. The track’s gentle melodies and layered vocals paint a really stirring picture throughout the track, and the way that it bursts to life towards the end feels invigorating and unexpected.
The album closes with the poignant ‘Always’, a track that is packed full of sincerity and heart, encapsulating a lot of the themes and ideas explored on the album through its depth and heart. I Want to Be the Anchor is a collection of tracks that explore themes like life, love, the passage of time, and the challenges and pitfalls that we face along the way, and it is the unmistakably human and real way that these are presented that makes them feel so powerful and raw, amplifying the feelings of connection and oneness that the artist champions and bringing them together in a way that feels entirely her own, on her own terms, and without compromise musically.
I Want to Be the Anchor is out now on vinyl, CD and digital download (HERE), with a partial release of ‘Side A’ on streaming platforms.
