Genre-hopping duo Emarosa has been killing it with their latest singles, “Preach” and “Stay.” The group, however, is back to capture your attention and keep their music spinning in your head with their latest ear-worm single, “Again.”
Sometimes there’s a flame you thought went out and somehow, someway despite your best efforts it catches fire again. It was a very honest and vulnerable song. I was actually driving on the 405 and saw my life flash before my eyes when I wrote it. I was listening to the instrumental trying to write and I zoned out. Had to swerve and pull over to collect myself. I put the whole thing in the song.
Bradley Scott on new song, “Again.”
Emarosa’s latest release holds themes many of us listening can relate to and puts those feelings in a nice little pop box we can all dance to.
Emarosa vocalist Bradley Scott had some time within the group’s busy schedule to answer a few questions of mine as we had a few things to chat about regarding the group’s new track, “Again,” and their upcoming album, Sting.
Firstly, let me say that “Again” is incredibly catchy. It’s been stuck in my head since I first listened to it. So, with that said, what goes into making a song like “Again?”
Thank you, I appreciate that. I think at first glance, “Again” comes across as a love song — and — maybe it is, but it’s not about any one person. It was brought up in a session as a half-finished idea, a concept, and it was extremely easy to run with it. The best songs, I feel, really write themselves, and this is one of those tracks.
Continuing from that, “Again” amps things up a bit when compared to tracks like “Preach,” “Stay,” and “Attention,” which are also off your upcoming album. Was this intentional? Or did the upbeat nature of “Again” become its own thing?
I don’t think any song on the album was intentional. We like to create, and when we feel like we have it, we have it. If you sit down with the idea of writing a fast song, you might be missing on an even better ballad. You might be missing out because you were forcing your art to go somewhere instead of guiding what’s already happening.
I will say that fans and new listeners are in for a treat when they jump into Sting. So, I have to ask, of the album’s ten tracks, which would you consider your favorite overall? And which are you excited to throw into your setlist for your upcoming LA and Chicago shows?
I think my favorite has to be “Danger.” Without a doubt, it’s the most mature of the album and something I really enjoyed diving into. As far as a favorite for the shows, I think people will really respond to “Preach” live. There’s an energy there, but ultimately the crowd favorite always surprises you after the album comes out, so we’ll see.
Regarding “Again,” which string of lyrics is your favorite? And why? Mine would have to be, “if I never had another/I’d never have to wonder, was that the best?” “Again” lyrically provides a relatable emotional experience.
For me, it has to be, “I’m fucked in a parking lot I called my mom to try and stop from crying.” It’s probably the most literal and bluntly honest line I’ve ever written.
From that emotional experience, “Again” presents itself as a heart-on-your-sleeve type of track. And while I already asked about what goes into making a song like “Again,” I have to dive a bit deeper and ask on an emotional level how did it feel to bring a song like “Again” into the world?
It wasn’t an easy thing to do. It was a very brutal time to write about and a very unfair time to write about. I had to relive a lot of emotions I didn’t want to, and two stories kind of blended together in this, so it’s a melting pot of emotion, to be honest.
When comparing your upcoming album Sting with your previous juggernaut, Peach Club, is there anything you changed when it came to your songwriting process? Or was it a mix of what you were already used to?
Well, there were small changes in input, but ultimately the soul of the way we wrote Peach Club was very similar to this album. I was very nervous at first diving into this album, but after about a week, it was smooth sailing, and we found our groove. There’s a learning curve with every album.
Emarosa has been around for quite a while. Why do you think the group continues to have a solid fan base and overall staying power? The evolution of the group has undoubtedly provided a fantastic selection of songs.
Thank you, I think it would have been easy to make more alternative rock records. Make more heavy music. In my opinion, that would have been the easy route. I think shifting to a pop sound was more challenging, albeit a very natural feeling. Who knows what the next record or the next record will be? Thankfully we have fans, new and old, who have evolved with this band. Not everyone likes change, but for us, it’s necessary.
Before I hit you with this final barrage of questions, I’d like to thank you for taking the time out of your schedule to answer these. Aside from your upcoming dates in LA and Chicago, where might fans be seeing Emarosa going into 2023? And how about that Carly Rae Jepsen collab fans seem to want pretty badly?
I do think we’ll be performing more in 2023. As far as Carly goes, I’m waiting on an email back 🙂
Emarosa sounds fired up for the release of their upcoming album Sting, which drops on January 27 and includes ten phenomenal tracks that I can’t wait to see performed in a live setting.
If you want to keep Emarosa’s catchy new single, “Again,” replaying over and over, you can bring the new song with you by streaming the track on Spotify and Apple Music.
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