The path from prodigious, classically trained musician to electronic behemoth is a surprisingly well-trodden one. Aphex Twin is a prominent example, settling into an esoteric blend of the two as his career progressed. Jon Hopkins has leaned into a big-room techno sound, while still finding time to perform orchestral pieces with the BBC Symphony Orchestra. Contemporary electronic artists with a deep knowledge and appreciation of their music often cut their teeth among orchestral and string arrangements. Taking the leap from dance music into dreamy, sleazy, Americana-tinged indie-pop is something altogether more novel.
Avalon Emerson’s debut album under her Avalon Emerson & the Charm project arrived in 2023, marking her first foray away from dance music. She was guided, at least in the earliest stages, by Romy of The xx who joined her for two studio sessions in February 2020. There can be few better helping hands to help navigate such a steep learning curve.
Stepping off the hamster wheel of being a touring electronic DJ is no doubt daunting. Emerson had been a regular at the renowned Panorama Bar in Berghain since 2016, and has graced just about every DJ booth of note in the years since. Resident Advisor named her track “The Frontier” as one of the ten best tunes of the decade. Her latest project, Written into Changes, represents a significant gear change, and not one without an element of risk.
Any scepticism surrounding her sophomore album is quickly dispelled by the gorgeous opening track “Eden”, one of the album’s highlights. What immediately stands out are the vocals, performed by Emerson herself, which remain mesmeric throughout. The album is supported by Jay Flew, a multi-instrumentalist involved in the initial writing sessions, and Emerson’s wife, Hunter Lombard, who contributes guitar.
Many of the album’s brighter spots bring to mind the late noughties boom period in UK indie. That may be a slightly churlish observation, but it rings true, and the UK’s rich history of anthemic indie-pop means it’s no disservice. Emerson’s appreciation of drums, synths and phrasing sets the tone for a truly wonderful LP.
The dream-pop sensibility continues on “Jupiter and Mars”, the album’s lead single. Emerson has spoken in the past about the synth-pop that soundtracked her childhood, and the influence of artists such as Cocteau Twins is felt throughout. It’s a groovier, funkier album than her debut, about which she noted that she felt “like ‘pop’ is a lazy umbrella term, but it’s also generic enough to be accurate.”
“Happy Birthday” and “Wooden Star” are two excellent tracks that sit towards the dancier end of the musical spectrum, while traces of her previous work in cosmic, intricate electronic music emerge in the opening stabs of the album’s title track “Written into Changes”, before giving way to a soaring, uplifting melody.
The album’s lyrics strike a similarly optimistic note. It’s in its unabashed Americana storytelling that the record really comes into its own. It sticks to the right side of twee, “Dead radio, summer glow, I miss my friends too when I’m alone.” Even the tracks that don’t quite hit the spot, specifically “How Dare This Beer”, carry an impressive level of production and polish. It does, however, do little to slow the momentum of the album as it reaches its denouement.
The release of Written into Changes also heralds the start of a UK & European tour, before festival season kicks in and Emerson finds herself behind the booth at the likes of C2C and Kappa FuturFestival.
Emerson is an astonishingly talented, innovative artist. This latest album is another string to a wonderful, musical bow. Check it out and thank us later.
Listen to Written into Changes below.