Indie-pop artist Eimear Kelly’s new EP My Limbo is about both letting go – and figuring out how to move forward.
For Eimear, it became both a personal and artistic metaphor. “My Limbo is a reference to the song ‘Limbo Forever,’ where I’m talking about a dying relationship that never ends,” she explains. “But it also became symbolic of never being able to feel finished with my music.”
A self-confessed overthinker, Eimear revisited songs written in her teens and early twenties and refined them during a period of creative reckoning. Narrowing down dozens of demos to a final six – and committing to see them through to release. It was about less thinking, more doing.
The result is a bouncing, cohesive EP humming with hooks and emotional honesty. But it’s Eimear’s ability to build songs to a dizzying intensity then drop your heart straight into freefall that has me wanting to tell everyone I know about her.
Opening track “Combust Crush” kicks off the EP with euphoric energy – a synth-pop coming-of-age anthem about romantic obsession at its most unhinged, my-life-is-a-movie surrealness. “Demean Me” strips things back with dark, dreamy indie rock, while the lush guitars of “Cancer Moon” transport you into a celestial, spacey haze.
Throughout My Limbo, Eimear sprinkles elements of Chappell Roan’s maximalist drama, Sabrina Carpenter’s melodic wonder, and beabadoobee’s raw intimacy – all filtered through her unique lens. Eimear’s real. She’s a romantic. She’s a mess. She’s got such a big heart. She’s the kind of girl you just know would be an absolute delight to have a wine with.
At the heart of the project sits the undeniably catchy “Limbo Forever,” a theatrical pop centrepiece powered by Eimear’s lyrical prowess. Deep cut “Aching For You” slows down the pace with pure acoustic yearning.
The EP closes with a party – new single “Forever Boy” is an 80s-soaked euro-pop track driven by a bulging bassline and four-on-the-floor pulse. It’s also a track about her mother sussing out her boyfriend. It’s playful, nostalgic and relatable.
Having steadily built momentum in Auckland’s indie-pop scene since her COVID-era debut “Crumbling”, My Limbo feels like a moment. With My Limbo, Eimear Kelly steps fully into her role as producer, storyteller, and pop artist in control of her own narrative – she’s ready to move. Experience her magic before the world catches on.
Review by Mary Comerford
