Emmy Wildwood’s dreamy “Down Down” is a work of understated majesty. She tackles some of the darkest aspects of interpersonal relationships through a beautifully poignant and enchanting composition.
LA-based, Tucson-born Emmy Wildwood has long been a purveyor of captivating, often visceral songwriting. Over the years she’s experimented with her approach when presenting her craft, but with the release of new single “Down Down” it’s clear she’s found the right alchemical composition to truly demonstrate her extraordinary talent.
The song is downright beautiful, blending crystalline instrumentation painted lightly in the enchanting spirit of late 1980s dream pop, with the humble majesty and timbres of any era of Kate Bush. All of these elements are sifted finely and with great care through a modern filter, crafting a harmonious balance of dreamy arps and twinkling, chorused guitars over an understated but commanding rhythm section — all glued together by Wildwood’s exquisite vocals.
Wildwood and producer Tommy Eichmann take great care to not overstuff “Down Down” with a ton of synths or guitars, and likewise are careful to not compress the soul out of the song. In doing so, they leave a lot of headspace for the listener to fully take in the song’s spirit, which is more complex first impressions would allow.
Essentially, Wildwood’s lyrics suggest far darker circumstances than the composition would suggest at first blush — there’s a reason for the melancholy that pervades “Down Down.” For further understanding, I turn to how she described the tune in her press release:
“Down Down” was inspired by the idea of intimate betrayal as a coping mechanism, and was written after I learned of the break-up of a close friend’s marriage due to their partner’s sex addiction. This song interprets a downward spiral of addiction and self-sabotage as coping mechanisms and the inevitable destruction that ensues when we live in denial of our demons.”
Never has such destruction sounded so beautiful.
“Down Down” is the first single off Wildwood’s All My Blood, recorded at Mission Sound in Brooklyn. Blood will be released at some point this spring.
Although she’s never appeared in Vehlinggo before, some of you readers might recognize Wildwood for her role in Guns N’ Hoses. She’s a founding member of that all-female Guns N’ Roses tribute band, along with Charlene Kaye (San Fermin), singer/actress Erin Marsz, and director/producer Mia Swier. She also runs a fashion line called Secret Weapon. She was also in a punk band called VELTA.
