Emotional Pop
Richly emotional snapshots centered around flowing vocal melodies and fluid pop atmospheres for dramatic hearts. (E&E-037)
Pop music has always been centered around hooks — something catchy while encapsulating the message and feel of the song. But hooks don’t need to be anthemic wrecking balls (though they certainly can be that). Evidenced by the rise of lo-fi and bedroom electropop, a hook can be soft yet impactful. These genres color just outside the lines while delivering memorable melodies. When pop music can all too often be shiny and larger than life, this trend explores the human side, that emotional core of music that we all love.
With that core at the heart of each song, Emotional Pop (E&E-037) features singular vocal hooks performed by Zahara Williams and Forrest Reed. Simple lyrics communicate not-so-simple thoughts and layered feelings over a lush, atmospheric bed of piano, synth, guitar, and drums.
Recorded in our newest studio space located in the Queen Anne neighborhood of Seattle, this private room is home to our Steinway grand piano and happens to have an incredible view of the city’s skyline, including the Space Needle itself. It may be a bit of an upgrade from a stereotypical lo-fi pop producer’s bedroom, but the beauty and intimate nature of the space made it an ideal setting to capture these pop songs, composed and performed by the creative trio of Reed, Julian Anderson, and Aaron Michael Wittrock.
The softer arrangements only accentuate the warmth and dreamy effect of tracks like “Forever With You.” Zahara’s smooth and silky vocals are the embodiment of young love, full of desire and longing that will transport even the most hardened of hearts back to their first crush. Unlike the harmonic chemistry showcased on See You Someday (LMTL-045), the male and female vocal duo on this release blur the two sides of the same love-sick coin. Featured on separate tracks, they still work in tandem with the same backing band to communicate these emotions from several angles.
“Starting Again” brings out the singer-songwriter side of pop while still demonstrating dynamic shifts and hooks necessary to deliver a memorable love song. With such different vocal deliveries, the styles and influences shift in turn, featuring hints of R&B alongside indie flavors. These eight tracks deliver on the album’s central theme through soft, strong earworm hooks delivered by genuine vocal performances.
Well-placed pop songs have been a constant on the soundtracks to dramas like Grey’s Anatomy and This Is Us since their inception, perfectly intertwining music supervision with storytelling. Emotional Pop is a beautiful addition to dramatic television projects that value a strong hook lyric to partner with a scene, but don’t need full verses. The singular focus of the melody and lyrics are easy to drop into emotionally vulnerable moments by communicating so much with so little, filling in the gaps of what goes unsaid on screen.
P.S. If you like this record, this trio of composers can also be found spinning their magic on these other releases on Eyeballs & Eardrums:
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