Sydney act Em George pours out honesty alongside every strum of The In Between, her second single of 2021.
If you like The Middle Kids, Lana Del Ray, Phoebe Bridgers, or Stevie Nicks, then you’re gonna love Em George. The indie-folk singer-songwriter found critical and commercial success right off the bat with her self-titled debut EP in 2016 and has racked up over 370,000 streams on Spotify throughout her career.
However, amidst two Sydney lockdowns, this career came into question: “Gigs were being cancelled, I lost a job and the uncertainty of COVID and lockdown made me question my future in music and life in general”. This devastating reality became the catalyst for The In Betweens – one of George’s most affecting tracks to date.
In waltz time, Em’s trusty acoustic and crystal-clear vocals open the track: “I used to be surrounded by people, now I have no one” she sings in the lower register with darkly shaded conviction, reminiscent of Lana Del Ray.
Following the sobering intro, the 6/8 track pivots into a rock-steady 4/4 drive, breathing copious energy into an already engaging track.
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With the rhythm section handling the momentum, George begins to soar, lyrically and melodically: “I had a grandmother, she’d tell me stories about her life”. Such a simple, but evocative memory. It’s clear that time in lockdown has been a time of careful reflection, with the most important moments revealing themselves in the track.
Blaring electric guitars carry you into the outro, weighing heavier and heavier with every whirl. The fuzzy down strums stack and stack as George belts out hook after hook. It’s an intense moment that perfectly mimicks the feverish aftermath of a cathartic realisation.
The track has already been added to ABC Country Radio, and something tells me that’s only the start of its journey.
Listen to The In Between below:
