In Emme’s world, love is esoteric and heavy – an infinite gravitational force you cannot resist.
So goes the alternative electronic pop duo’s latest single and video “Collapse,” in which vocalist Sowmya Somanath sings “To the horizon we will go/ The more we wait the less we know” before meditating on the word “Q-U-A-N-T-U-M.” As such, she’s comparing the two most powerful impetuses in our universe: love and black holes.
In a new video, directed by the band with Alison Week and Sarah Kuck, a group of friends playing charades, hiking, and dancing at a backyard concert find their heads turning round dark orbs – or black holes – when they’re struck by love.
“In ‘Collapse,’ we wanted to deal with the frightening, mysterious aspects of love,” the group offered. “We found ourselves gravitating toward the image of a black hole: its event horizon, across which nothing returns; its utter, apparently endless depth; its strength – enough to hugely warp reality around it. We wanted the song to kind of feel like it’s being pulled apart in a beautiful way, like intense love (or a black hole) does.”
Emme — comprised of Somanath, a vocalist educated in hindustani music, and multi-instrumentalist Walter Nichols, who leads production and plays saxophone — has been releasing one-off singles since last year as well as a more recent series of cover songs. Tranquil, while imbuing a strong sense of intention, their music strikes an interesting balance of being mellow yet intense.
On Friday, Emme plays a single release show at Cheer Up Charlies with synth pop comrades Scenery. “Collapse” streams here:
This article appears in Blaze Foley.