Em Hub
In between recording sessions, Em utilises her audio skills to push forward her songwriting into her own projects.
A merger of indie, pop, and folk aesthetics, Em plays around with mesmerising guitar patterns, rich vocal layers, moody synths, and groovy drum loops to build songs in a world of their own. The writing of Em projects reflect her inner world as a creative and freelancer in their 20s.
Em released her debut EP “Dead Roses” in 2020, aimed towards introducing her sound to her musical peers. In 2022 she released her follow up EP “Undergrowth”, exploring the general chaos of life as a woman in her twenties.
After releasing the “Tender” EP in 2022 and “Cloud City” EP in 2023, Em is collating the two projects into the Phases album.
Listen Here
Deeply reflective, a little bit wonky in places, created with my friends. Lucky Star balances authenticity in my songwriting while pushing myself in my production craft. This balance is the epitome of the "Em" sound, regardless of how my sonic aesthetics change over time.
Driving acoustic guitars, drums, and bass underpinned by a drum machine, emotive electric guitars, and Em’s most characterful vocals yet. Inspired from the death of a famous musician, Luck Star reflects on who Em was as a music loving teenager and taps into the collective of music lovers who know the feeling of losing an idol.
Check out this piano ballad version of Lucky Star ^^
Encapsulating late night drives and a longing for something new, ‘Go’ features a looping drum machine, uplifting synth hook, and humble acoustic guitars set against Em’s lush vocals
“In Spring on the eve of a holiday to the islands I drove the long way home, blasting an old favourite album with the windows down as the motorway flashed by. Thinking about how pent up I felt and how many people had moved overseas. Should I stay, should I go, what do I have, and what do I want? The next day I started writing, trying to capture that feeling shared by so many others."
Recorded, mixed, and mastered by Emily Wheatcroft-Snape at Parachute Music and her central Auckland studio. Made with collaborators Luan Meaker (guitars), Arahi Whaanga (drums and bass), Amy Boroevich (violins), Locky Buchanan (guitars), and Jeremy Low (synths).
Check out the Love to Be music video! Created by Sports Team with support from NZ on Air
‘Love to Be’ is an uplifting, indie-pop ode to living life to the fullest and marks a new chapter for the multi-talented, Tāmaki Makaurau-based Emily.
It’s this sense of restless summer energy and the excitement of connecting with friends, that radiates from ‘Love to Be’, which leans more into electronic drums and dance music than Em has on previous releases.
"The process of merging folk-style guitars with a programmed drum beat and my layered vocals - and the eventual live drums too - was a hard balance to find, but I am obsessed with the end result. I think it reflects my desire to play with style and genre, and push myself as a technical practitioner while still keeping the emotion and world building I strive for in all of my music."
Phases Album
Phases is a deeply personal work that documents Em’s journey through loss and self-reflection. The album merges the sounds of indie, pop, and folk, blending mesmerising guitar patterns, moody synths, and rich vocal layers with Em’s signature production style.
Phases collates Em’s two previous EPs, Tender and Cloud City, and introduces three new tracks to complete the narrative. The album’s creation, which began in September 2022, draws on Em’s growth as an artist and her reflective process during a challenging time. "The album is cyclic," Em says, "a representation of my internal journey and how it evolved over time."
Produced, recorded, and mixed by Em herself, the album features collaborations with a close-knit team of contributors, including Manuela Johnston, Luan Meaker, and Mackensie Clayton.
Undergrowth EP
Released in December 2022, Em developed her musical sound in her second EP, "Undergrowth".
Increasing her confidence in collaboration on this project, the production features rhythmic guitars contrasted against quirky synth sounds, and Em's rich vocal production.
Singles 'Undergrowth" and "The Love and the Fight" landed on New Zealand student radio, with "Undergrowth" hosting a music video.
The EP reflects on freelancing, the development of identity, and finding (and keeping) community.
Dead Roses EP
Released in December 2020, "Dead Roses" is Em's first foray into sharing music as a solo artist.
The project features predominately programmed sounds crafted by Em during the 2020 COVID-19 lockdown, with rich vocal layers and additives from downtime at Roundhead Studios. "Dead Roses" builds a world of it's own to introduce listeners to Em's production sensibilities.
The EP reflects on the experiences, friendships, relationships, and fleeting nature of life as a young adult.
The song "Electricity" hosts a music video and binaural surround sound mix.
