Emilie Zoé goes back to the Very Start

Emilie Zoé’s eagerly awaited second album, “The Very Start”, is at last released on 9 November. In turns bracingly honest and sweetly tender, Emilie Zoé has never shied away from difficult emotions in her songs. A little older and a little wiser, she has now harnessed her unique talent in a beguiling album full of darkly shimmering instrumental textures and gripping vocal melodies.

Born and raised in Neuchâtel in the French part of Switzerland, Emilie Zoé taught herself to play guitar and write songs as a teenager. The music venues of nearby Lausanne – a city that has long boasted a vibrant music scene – became her home from home. She soon fell in with the Two Gentlemen crowd (Young Gods, Sophie Hunger, etc.) who introduced her to the singer/songwriter Anna Aaron. For the next three years, Emilie Zoé was a member of Aaron’s band whilst also working on her own material. Her first EP, “Empty”, came out in 2013, followed by a debut album, “Dead-End Tape”, in 2016. Also in 2016/17 she participated in the Opération Iceberg 2.

“The Very Start” marks a quantum leap for Emilie Zoé. The songs that make up this remarkable album had been part of her live repertoire for many months if not years. However, when the time came for her and her percussionist Nicolas Pittet to return to the studio to record them, she was at a loss how to capture the visceral intensity of the live versions in a studio. Help came in the shape of Christian Garcia, a producer and multi-instrumentalist, who added synths and more guitars to the brew. The three of them locked themselves in a rehearsal room for many weeks in order to turn the songs inside out and rebuild them from scratch. The results are breath-taking.

“The Very Start” is released by Hummus Records in a variety of formats, including a limited series of handmade screen printed test presses, a limited series of black vinyl albums, and CD with special digi-sleeve and booklet. Physical distribution worldwide is via The Orchard, Plastic Head Music, Membran, Season of Mist, and Irascible, digital distribution worldwide is through The Orchard.

Emilie Zoé
Hummus Records
The Orchard
Plastic Head
Membran
Season of Mist
Irascible
Opération Iceberg 2