Of course, that’s not to say that anything is wrong with the impassioned whining so typically associated with the label ‘emo’, but on STILL EMO, Emotional Oranges provide us with a new sound to soundtrack our moodiest moments, staring out of windows and feeling our feelings deeply. The brainchild of ‘A’ and ‘V’, who use the letter pseudonyms in place of revealing their identities, is a sharply produced and elegantly structured 25-minute whirlwind of all things emotional, with a suitably acidic hit of attitude and flavour.
Opening with “Wrong Hands,” one part subtle groove and one part heartfelt love song, Emotional Oranges set the tone for the project. The lilting, loving vocal duet weaves a narrative of flirtation and courtship injected with swirling passions, but without ever crescendoing too much; the steady beat and restrained synths keep us grounded as Emotional Oranges tempt us into the record. Closer “Better Apart” bookends STILL EMO as another hazy, tender cut – but it’s a sad ending to the story: through some vivid metaphors, and some painstaking kitchen-sink realism, Emotional Oranges carve the story of two lovers who have fallen out of feeling, the duet that felt so flirty and charged in “Wrong Hands” turned to something devastating and distant here.
Throughout STILL EMO’s journey, though, Emotional Oranges give us a strong storyline of tracks that cover a whole spectrum of vibes. The pair enlist Tkay Maidza for the pulsing, self-assured swagger of “Be Somebody”; Aáyanna chimes in for the sensual, broody “Olympics” which sees STILL EMO’s characters revelling in sex and connection; but it’s followed swiftly by the Nonso Amadi-featuring “Not Worthy,” which sees self-doubts start to creep in as things fall apart, over a flickering hummingbird heartbeat of an instrumental.
Emotional Oranges have traced a relationship, neatly wrapped up in a twenty minute episode like a sitcom. But the calibre of the individual tracks, as well as the volumes of feeling they’ve packed in, are far more expansive than the vessel they’re contained in.
