Here at the Honey Pop, we’re already nostalgic for last summer, when Emily James released her EP Summer Nostalgia. Over six songs, she wove an intricate tale of love and life. Released right as the summer wound down, she reminisced about first love and coming-of-age, while also saying goodbye to the warm summer sun. And then autumn came, and with it, the crisp air that signals summer’s end. And we waited for Emily James’s next move.
You can imagine our joy when Emily announced that the story of Summer Nostalgia was not yet finished, and would in fact become her debut album. Just in time for another summer, and it’s finally out. And we can say with full confidence that it’s lived up to expectations, as well as to its title. The opening track, ‘Suburbia’ thrusts us into a time machine. With her vivid imagery, it’s an expertly crafted exploration of the bittersweet nature of memory. Throughout the album, she looks back on the experiences that shaped her and reconciles them with the person she is today. And as she reframes her past, makes sense of it, she seems to come out more confident than she started.
With Summer Nostalgia, Emily takes us on an emotional journey. Along with her undeniable talent for storytelling, her outstanding vocals showcase both strength and vulnerability. In short, if you’re looking for your next sad-girl pop artist, look no further than Emily James.
If you want to know more, you’re in luck. We spoke to Emily about her debut album, the experiences that inspired it, and much more!
Welcome to the Honey Pop! As an introduction, could you tell us a bit about your history with music leading up to your debut album?
So grateful to be here 🙂 I started writing songs when I was about 10 years old and I’ve been releasing music since 2016, when I put out my first EP. Over the last 10 years, I’ve had the chance to explore a lot of different sounds and styles through my various projects, and find confidence in my voice as a songwriter and producer. I have learned something new with each EP and now feel ready to release a full-length album.
We’d love to know about the inspiration behind Summer Nostalgia. Did you always plan to extend your EP of the same name, or did you decide afterward that there was still more story to tell?
When I was in the process of writing for this project, I didn’t set out to make an EP or an album. I wasn’t even trying to write a specific storyline. I was at a point of transition in my life, living briefly in London, leaving LA, moving back to New York after nearly a decade, and was writing a ton of songs along the way. The concept and storyline of the EP revealed themselves after the songs were written. There is often a point in the process of making an EP at which I feel love for the project, but also a sense of closure, and I am ready to move on to the next one. With the Summer Nostalgia EP, it was the first time that I didn’t feel that tug; I wasn’t ready to leave this world that had just begun to bloom. So, filling out the story and expanding it into an album only felt right.
Going back to the EP, you’ve mentioned that you came up with the name when you wrote ‘Suburbia.’ Was that the first track you wrote for the project? What was it about this song that made you want to dive deeper into those themes?
‘Suburbia’ was not the first track I wrote for the project, but it was the first song that made me realize what this project was going to be. I was drawn to the concept of memory and the past as things that are dynamic, rather than fixed. It was the first time I had ever realized that, as I get older and have more experiences, the way I view my adolescence and past relationships end up changing. I find that so interesting and how there is no objective or correct interpretation of the past. The lyrics, “Do you remember it the way I do? And does it have a hold on you?” are the core of that song; it’s like asking someone, do you have the same associations with that time, with those memories, as I do? Does it still affect you as much as it does me?
A major theme of Summer Nostalgia is being back in your hometown and looking back at how you’ve grown up. Had you just moved back to your hometown when you wrote it? If so, what was that writing process like?
Ironically, I wrote the majority of Summer Nostalgia very far away from my hometown. Most of it was written in LA and London. I think being so far away helped me to see that place and the history differently; as though I could view my own experiences as more of an onlooker rather than the one inside of it. While there was a lot of reflection, the majority of the inspiration came from the images I was having surrounding what life would be like to return to New York. What would it feel like to come back to this place, to run into people after so much time and after having changed so much?
How, if at all, has your hometown influenced your style of music?
Ooh, what a great question. The music I grew up on greatly influenced my style of music, but that credit is due to my parents and their great taste in music. There were a lot of New York / New Jersey artists always playing in the house; Bob Dylan, Bruce Springsteen, Billy Joel, Carole King… I think our proximity to New York City had a big influence as well. I grew up in a very small town right outside of Manhattan, and I was exposed to a lot of musical theater from an early age (my first love was the Wicked soundtrack). The common thread between all of that is the storytelling; I am always trying to tell a story with every song I write and every project I create.
Of course, you’re not only looking back at your upbringing, but at summer. Do you have a favorite summer story or tradition?
Going to the public pool in my town was a big part of summer growing up. We would go practically every day and see the same people; my siblings and neighbors were the lifeguards, all the moms would be sitting in a circle talking for hours while my friends and I frolicked around in the water until our skin was squeezed shut. I can still feel the scratchiness of the concrete, and being scolded to walk, not run. The smell of mozzarella sticks at the snack window, and the feeling of metal benches sticking against skin that would end up creating a weird pattern indented on the backs of my legs; the hypnotizing swinging of whistles around the lifeguards’ fingers, the quiet thrill of dark clouds creeping in and the three long blows from those whistles after one too many rumbles of thunder that said, “everyone get out now.” Those days, the most mundane of them, remain my favorite.
The storytelling throughout this album makes it feel like a coming-of-age film, which you’ve mentioned that you did on purpose. Do you have a favorite film that you kept in mind while crafting this album?
I didn’t have a specific film at the front of my mind, but now that I’m thinking about how to answer this question I’m realizing that I must have been subconsciously influenced by the TV series, One Day, which I watched (twice) while writing a lot of these songs in London. Both Summer Nostalgia and One Day are stories that center around two people who have a spark and remain in each other’s lives one way or another, but have to do their own growing and developing before they can find their way to each other. I’d like to think that the Summer Nostalgia story doesn’t end quite as tragically as that one though (*cries*).
Writing about nostalgia, did you find yourself revisiting past experiences from a new perspective? What was that like?
Totally, that’s what this album is really about. Being in the thick of my 20s, it’s this unique time where I am looking back and seeing the past in a new light, while simultaneously looking ahead and still figuring out who I am and where I’m going. I don’t like to ruminate or have any regrets, as I believe every experience is an opportunity to learn and guide us forward.
‘Pretty 4Ever’ is a great ode to female friendships, especially in the context of first love and understanding that your friends are the ones who will always be there for you. What was it like sharing these songs with your friends?
The first time I played ‘Pretty 4Ever’ for my best friends, we danced around in our apartment and made mac and cheese and it felt exactly like what I am describing in the song. A lot of this album is centered around romantic love and sorting out identity, but getting through those things would not be possible, or nearly as fun, without friends. The bonds I have with the women in my life are so, so precious and vital to me, and it felt important to honor that.
Can you tell us a bit about the poems that inspired ‘Oranges’ and how you decided to turn those themes into a song?
Yes! ‘Oranges’ was inspired by two poems centered around that lovely little fruit; The Orange by Wendy Cope and Oranges by Jean Little. Both of these poems evoke such peace and delight in me. They both illustrate the simplest, warm kind of love; an appreciation for things being exactly as they are. They feel so present and sunsoaked. So, I wanted to write a song that felt like that.
Summer Nostalgia’s track list tells a beautiful story from beginning to end. How intentional were you about the order of the songs?
Thank you <3 The order of the songs is very intentional. The album opens with ‘Suburbia,’ which I view as the introduction and overview of the story. It goes through a series of memories from the beginning of the relationship, through the period of being apart and trying to move on, to the reunion, and ending with ‘Oranges,’ which I view as the epilogue. I wanted ‘Oranges’ to be the last song on the album, so as to leave the ending open to interpretation. It’s not clear whether the two people remain together or decide to go their separate ways, and I want that decision to be left up to the listener, depending on how they resonate with the story.
As you wrote this album, which focuses a lot on looking back at how you became the person you are today, what did you learn about yourself?
I learned that physical distance from a place and from people can give you a new perspective. I learned that there is a lot more that I am thinking about and holding on to in my mind than I realize, which happens nearly every time I write a song, and yet I’m still surprised by it. I learned to trust what wants to emerge from me, even if I don’t yet understand why.
Thanks for chatting with us! One last question: What’s on this summer’s bucket list?
Eat lots of oranges 🙂
In case we weren’t clear enough: Summer Nostalgia is out now, and this is the summer of Emily James. Check out the album and let us know your favorite track over on our socials! Find us at @thehoneypop on Twitter, Instagram, or Facebook.
TO LEARN MORE ABOUT EMILY JAMES:
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