Based in Christchurch, New Zealand, Emily C. Browning, with a background in Jazz and a career playing guitars for others, has just released her first solo work – the lovely single ‘I Wasn’t Into You Anyway’. There is a smart self-deprecatory sense of humour evident in both the song and the accompanying video – Browning delivers a satisfying observation on desire and rejection, carried effortlessly through a languid, largely electronic bedrock. Sparse but innovative instrumentation provides a delightful syncopated framework that advances and recedes like lapping waves.
Browning says:
Everyday for a month I wrote in my journal: I want to write a song about feeling rejected. But I couldn’t figure out how to keep it light and funny, it can be quite a painful topic and I didn’t want to sound too heavy. But I kept working on it everyday and came up with this song. I then spent another month recording it, trying to capture a sound that stayed upbeat and playful. I put so much time and energy into the song that I ended up completely forgetting about the person who rejected me in the first place (honest, I swear).
The result is something that is utterly endearing and quite delightful:
It would be easy to slot Browning in the Sharon van Etten section of the musical cabinet – she indeed has a similar clear and expressive vocal tone and a similar slyly humorous approach – but the arrangement and instrumentation is quite unique. There is a fluidity and ease that must be influenced to a degree by Browning’s training and experience.
You can stream the single here and look out for a debut album later this year.
