Melbourne's Emma Yue gives glistening yet gritty journey into self-reflection on new indie single, 'Lonely Lover'

Melbourne singer-songwriter, Emma Yue gives a glistening yet gritty journey into self-reflection on the brand new single, ‘Lonely Lover’. It’s the ultimate indie-rock ode to independence and the pursuit of connection.

Continuing Emma’s knack for weaving addictive hooks with raw lyricism, ‘Lonely Lover' thrives with serene textures and spirited vulnerability, with the track driven by buoyant instrumentation and Emma’s crystalline vocals.

‘Lonely Lover’ is an indie-rock rollercoaster ride chock full of emotions, with the dips giving you a funny feeling in your stomach, while the rises are complete elation dressed up in Australian Indie tones. Emma captivates with her sweetened vocal delivery in quieter sections, but knows how to kick the song in the guts when it needs to, while the warmer, airy tones of the production cushion the listener’s journey throughout. ‘Lonely Lover’ is a brilliant polaroid of early 00s alt/indie, kept in a journal, and brought back out to reminisce.

A compelling earworm, ‘Lonely Lover’ initially began life well beyond its firm indie flavours, with Emma drawing on long-term sonic influences to shift the new track to its latest form alongside newer muses. And while Lonely Lover may stem from bittersweet sentiments, its ultimate effect is one of hope, as Emma explains, “This single is probably the most honest and raw song I've released so far. It represents so much of my reality and feels so authentic to myself, which makes it sort of terrifying to share. When that fear and doubt comes up in my mind I’ve gotten into the habit of reminding myself that I really want to share it so that maybe people who can relate feel a little less alone and a little more optimistic. Around the time of writing it, I was really getting into some Aussie bands like Spacey Jane, but also absolutely obsessed with the song Kilby Girl by The Backseat Lovers. I think those influences came through a bit, while also having grown up listening to Taylor Swift all through my teenage years, her lyrical influence is definitely felt too. When I originally wrote the song, it was far more singer-songwriter and had a country rock feel to it, which I wanted to lean away from a bit. I worked with an incredible producer, Gus Cannon, who took the song and my description of how I wanted it be and gave it the sound it has now. He has been a huge influence on the finished product that we're both incredibly proud of.”

With Marcelina Permatasari on drums, Gus Cannon on co-production and backing vocals, and Brad Jackson on co-production, mixing and mastering duties, Lonely Lover not only carries stylistic nods to Emma’s past and present; it also captures her own personal experiences with loneliness and isolation, emerging with a catchy yet universally relatable sonic gem.

“When I wrote the song it was after a night out with a friend of mine and her long-time childhood friend who had come to visit her,” Emma explains. “I had such a lovely time with them both, but seeing their familiarity and effortless closeness made me feel incredibly lonely and got me thinking about my friendships and how moving countries at age 10 and 12 had played its role in them. That was about three years ago now, and since then the meaning of the song has very much changed to being about the loneliness of having a difficult emotional relationship with my parents. I was also reflecting on other parts of my life so far where I had felt lonely, growing up as a woman of colour in a predominantly white society, being a member of the LGBTQ community and being neurodivergent were all things that had made me feel socially isolated at various points too. While the song sounds upbeat and defiant and like an anthem of independence, it really is just about a girl who has a soul-deep loneliness and realises the only way that's going to change is to become everything she needed for herself.”

A self-confessed purveyor of the phrase 'do it for the plot', Emma Yue has been capturing her effortlessly poetic creativity since an early age, first penning lyrics in the dark when she was eight before transforming her words into songs in her teens, channelling her craft as a form of self-expression and catharsis that has carried over into adulthood.

Embodying the rollercoaster ups and downs of your early 20s, Emma pairs her personal experiences with themes of self-identity, sex, relationships, and mental health fused with genre-blending indie, pop rock, and punk sounds.

Deeply driven by emotions, Emma’s musical vibe transports you to deeply intimate and familiar places; think wine drunk on the floor with your closest friends, speaking about taboo topics, stomach sore from laughing while knowing you need to be up early the next morning for work. Emma also firmly carries this feeling onto the stage with her five-piece band, and while her latest single Lonely Lover may be releasing on Valentine’s Day in 2024 - it certainly isn’t your average love song for the broken hearted, as Emma concludes, “To be honest I just thought it was a bit comical, I knew I wanted to release the song in mid-February and it didn't occur to me to release it on that day until I saw the automatic "Valentine's Day" event that Apple has in my calendar. While the song isn't actually about romantic relationships, it definitely could be interpreted that way, and we absolutely love the kickass single independent queens of the world.”

Emma Yuewill be celebrating the track’s release with a gig at The Gaso Upstairs (Collingwood, VIC) on March 28.

‘Lonely Lover’ is out now on all streaming platforms.