Emma Ruth Rundle Has Arrived “On Dark Horses”
Rachel Cholst
Posted On September 14, 2018
Not to put too fine a point on it, but I don’t think Emma Ruth Rundle’s new album, On Dark Horses, could have come out in any other year. While many people turn to music for escape, there’s no question that the world around us feels increasingly menacing and chaotic. On Dark Horses feels like an attempt to reckon with that. It’s not so much a wish to put the genie back in the bottle as much as an attempt to coexist with our fears. For Rundle, On Dark Horses is all about that struggle.“The record is about overcoming—understanding and embracing the crippling situation and then growing beyond it,” she says. “Horses keep working their way into the lyrics and visual dimension of this record. They’re powerful and beautiful yet not free really. So the dark horse works for me in a visual way, as a representation of a contained force that will win the race or exceed the expectation of society and self.”
To boil this album into a word, it would be “sweeping.” But there’s more to it than that. Rundle has built titanic soundscapes that allow her emotions to take all of the space they deserve — and then some. Yet there’s a sense of control there, too. These songs are acts of catharsis: allowing fear and anger and loneliness to move through you rather than control you. I’m reminded of Lana del Rey’s ominous melodies, though Rundle digs deep emotionally. While the songs are meticulously crafted, Rundle’s voice is raw and immediate. But Rundle — and by extension, the listener — is never at risk of losing control. Whatever we’ve been through, are going through, or are afraid of, this is an album that enables us to experience those anxieties and come out through the other side. The album’s closer, “You Don’t Have to Cry,” finds Rundle at emotional rest — a gentle reminder to be kind to yourself that climbs to a triumphant climax. On Dark Horses can serve as a guide to get us from 2018 to 2019 and beyond.
Emma Ruth Rundle — Facebook, Purchase
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