The bubbly and bright Emma Howett first came to my attention as the lead singer of well loved local pop rock band Chevy Chase Stole My Wife. A smile to light a stage is what drew me into the quirky front woman’s performance, and her solo livestreams during lockdown introduced me to her solo music.
Featuring bass by Stu Lee and keys by Terry Walls, Schrodinger’s Heart opens with the lightest beat before Emma’s narrative begins. A seemingly well structured ramble of thoughts spill out, a representation of a “stream of consciousness”, a theme of songs Emma really got into over the unusual summer we had. The track being what she describes as a lyrical riff on not getting answers to burning questions.
It seems the tune also gets her questioning herself, whether she can do this, and whether a significant other will indeed be there for her. The vocal ability and range on offer in this song is wonderfully impressive, the chorus showing off a light and airy deliciousness of delicate tones, and the verse, in contrast, an almost spoken rhythm with angelic background vocals adding a much appreciated dream like quality. The closing line changes the question of can I do this into I can do, a powerful statement of how the singer can cope with uncertainty , and as Emma herself describes “building our own personal mythology around us like a protective layer”. Upon each listen, a different layer of sound reveals itself, and the song morphs into something new, like unwrapping another layer of a secret gift.
The whole vibe of the song successfully achieves the ethereal floating thoughts feel that inspired it, drifting high above the craziness of reality, with the electro melody a happy little distraction to accompany it. When teamed with knowing who Schrodinger is, and his famous cat theory, the track does indeed take you down a stream of consciousness, curious and questioning. A willowy little song that will have you floating down an imaginary stream, sun filtering perfectly through the cloud dappled sky as you let your thoughts wander up and over you.
By: kate Ford