Emily Burns’ newest single, Curse, is truly a gem in disguise. Upon first listening to the track, one might think that this song rides on the sound Finneas and Billie Eilish have built in the last few years: Emily’s voice is meek and vulnerable, backed by a shy piano and dreamy synth-scapes cradling the composition.

The production brings the sound close to the listener, feeling as soothing as the singer’s voice. All this sounds all too eerily similar to a typical Billie Eilish production, and even in tone, this could be confused for one of her own songs. While it makes the song feel somewhat uninspired, there are plenty of surprises spread throughout the track, that casual listeners and music nerds might find appealing. Initially, the song doesn’t offer too much that hasn’t been done before, but half-way through the chorus a chromatically descending chord progression filled with tension tugs hard at the listeners’ heart strings.

The melody traverses over these chords without dramatically highlighting the chordal modulations, which perfectly hides the beauty of these chords in the feel of the song, rather than to have it shine at the forefront. Not only that, but Emily’s vocal lines throughout Curse is shockingly complex, traversing over the scale so effortlessly. Her runs are subtle and well-integrated within the melody. Her shift from chest voice to falsetto is just as seamless as her delivery, which is why this song’s brilliance might not seem so apparent upon first listen. Whether those intricacies will be welcomed, or rather admired, by every listener, is totally circumstantial of what that person looks for in a song. Despite that, I believe almost everyone can see the beauty and passion that was put into Curse.

It’s a soothing lullaby, very grey in color but shining with its silver lining provided by the beautiful backing harmonies and bright string pads carrying the song forward. It’s an endearing pop ballad that will find itself home in every listeners’ hearts, should they have room and openness for it.

 pop 

Author: Nicholas Gaudet

Music producer and writer from Dieppe, Canada.