US musician Emily Wolfe will release a new album entitled ‘The Blowback’ on 20th October, with the songs ‘Walk In My Shoes’ and ‘Dead End Luck’ available from it as singles now. UK/EU fans will also have a chance to see her promote it, as she has today been announced as the special guest of The Gaslight Anthem when they tour their own upcoming new album in March 2024. Confirmed dates are:
- 06.03.24 STOCKHOLM (SE) The Annex
- 07.03.24 OSLO (NO) Sentrum Scene
- 09.03.24 COPENHAGEN (DK) Gray Hall
- 11.03.24 BERLIN (DE) Columbiahalle
- 12.03.24 WIESBADEN (DE) Schlachtof
- 14.03.24 BRUSSELS (BE) Ancienne Belgique
- 15.03.24 COLOGNE (DE) Palladium
- 16.03.24 UTRECHT (NL) Tivoli/Vredenburg Ronda
- 18.03.24 GLASGOW (UK) Academy
- 21.03.24 SHEFFIELD (UK) Academy
- 22.03.24 MANCHESTER (UK) O2 Apollo
- 23.03.24 WOLVERHAMPTON (UK) Civic Hall
- 25.03.24 LONDON (UK) Roundhouse
- 26.03.24 LONDON (UK) Roundhouse
- 29.03.24 DUBLIN (IE) 3Olympia
An excited Wolfe states: “As a longtime fan of The Gaslight Anthem, it’s such an honour to support them on their European tour. Their new record is incredible and I can’t wait to not only experience them live in massive venues, but also open the show every night. They are great people and musicians, and I’m so grateful to be a part of this tour.”
Emily Wolfe is a dynamic vocalist, accomplished guitarist and sharp songwriter, delivering raw and relevant rock ‘n’ roll anchored by emotionally charged lyrics and a powerhouse stage presence. She has earned acclaim from US publications that include The Wall Street Journal, Guitar Player and American Songwriter, as well as UK magazines such as Classic Rock, Blues Matters and Total Guitar. Recognised as a tour de force guitarist, she has worked with Epiphone/Gibson Guitars for two signature Sheraton models, a rarity for an artist not already selling out stadiums.
Wolfe will release her third solo album, the self-produced ‘The Blowback’, in late October. Her determined spirit truly shines on songs such as new single ‘Walk In My Shoes’, which stomps out of the gate with her high register swooning over an insistent groove punctuated by string bends as she beckons: “Walk in my shoes…I don’t want to play anymore” between a blues meets disco strut. “It was born out of protests my wife and I went to against all of these anti-trans and anti-LGBTQIA+ laws being passed in Texas,” she sighs. “I wanted to make a piece of art that combatted all of these ideas about women not having control over their own bodies. The only way I could fight those beliefs was through music. It’s groovy, upbeat and aggressive, since I wanted the fight against oppression to stick in your head.”
Also available as a single, ‘Dead End Luck’ sees a palm-muted riff brush up against casually candid storytelling as she relates an occasion when she “Drove past the bar and saw my ex, she looks so happy with a man instead, I wrecked my car got stuck behind a train, why can’t I handle anything?” as wailing lead guitar accents her emotionally charged refrain. Adding a further dimension, Wolfe taped a microphone to a remote control car, catching feedback from different angles of the room and infusing the song with fuzz in surround sound. Singing with almost resigned humour, she recalls that “the song was born from this really bad day I had when everything felt hopeless. I tried to give myself a little hope in the bridge, where it switches from dark sounding minor chord changes to major.”
Wolfe explains that the forthright album title “is because a lot of the songs are about not taking bullshit anymore. I guess I could say it more elegantly, but it’s how I feel. From global issues, national problems and interpersonal relationships, it’s a big middle finger to everything. This album is something I needed to do for myself. I’m really proud of it and it's the most connected I’ve ever felt to a body of work.”
Wolfe has been developing her hard-hitting, gritty yet hypnotic style for almost a decade, with the 2014 EP ‘Roulette’ followed by a single, ‘Atta Blues’, in 2016 and a self-titled 2019 debut album that included early fan favourites such as ‘Holy Roller’. Maintaining momentum, she lived up to the title of 2021’s ‘Outlier’, which was produced by Michael Shuman of Queens of the Stone Age and Mini Mansions and attracted unanimous critical praise and copious airplay for singles lifted from it such as ‘No Man’ and ‘Something Better’.
Inspired by the likes of Hole, Veruca Salt, Nirvana and Alanis Morissette, Wolfe envisaged a specific sound for what would become ‘The Blowback’, opting to self-produce her new album in order to properly realise it. “Producing the record myself is one of the most thrilling experiences I’ve ever had,” she states. “I have learned so much from past producers like Michael Shuman and I was ready. For me, this whole chapter is about owning your spirit.”
‘Second of Relief’ features lilting verses that build towards another soaring chorus as Wolfe wonders, “Would it really matter if I wasn’t here, just for a second of relief?” She recalls that “it was actually the first of the new songs I wrote and it came out of the pandemic. Touring had stopped and the entertainment industry halted, with seemingly no end in sight. When I finally went back on the road, a few things changed my life in a negative way and that fed through to the rest of the writing."
Other new songs like ‘Silencer’ and ‘Predator’ send a message to any and all survivors, with Wolfe stating that “the goal was to potentially make any victims of sexual assault or harassment feel less alone and like they’re not at fault.” The album concludes with ‘Can I Read Your Mind, Lover’, with Wolfe leaning into a glassy synth-spiked beat with a wish. “It came out of a place of wanting to be able to read my partner’s mind and wanting to know what they want out of a relationship and life without them telling me, but it’s not possible,” she observes. “It’s a bittersweet, special little song.”
Ultimately, ‘The Blowback’ might just give listeners the strength they need to express themselves as well, as Wolfe concludes: “When you listen to this, I want you to feel empowered. If something harms or oppresses you, stand up against it. I’ve overcome a lot. I’m not afraid to display my feminine rage anymore - especially on stage. I’ve grown up spiritually, emotionally and mentally. I believe I have a lot to offer, and I’m ready for whatever comes next.”
THE BLOWBACK TRACKLISTING
1 Silencer
2 Dead End Luck
3 Walk In My Shoes
4 Predator
5 Road To Ruin
6 High Crime
7 Rock Bottom On A High Wire
8 Hopeless In Panorama
9 Second Of Relief
10 Can I Read Your Mind, Lover