Highs and lows of relationships

Again, Emily Yacina shows her amazing songwriting skills with her newest album Remember the Silver. Fans already know her for her insightful, soft lyrics and love her for it, but with her latest release, Emily Yacina reaches a new high while maintaining her signature melancholic style.

Most of the songs on the albums are a little short, but Yacina manages to show emotions and vulnerability while simultaneously stimulating the thoughts and feelings of fans. The album almost feels like a brief insight into relationships. One of the highlights of the album, the rhythm to “Gleaming,” is reminiscent of the early work of pop-punk veterans blink-182 and their song “Dammit.” This makes the album go beyond the indie genre.

“Only” starts off the album with a message that is relatable to everyone—the wish for a platonic friendship with an individual, standout line “de-sexualize my soul.” Later, the singer falls in love. “Stephanie” is a feel-good song about waiting for the right person and the excitement of being in love for the first time in a long time, all while knowing this person is worth the wait. The beat is uplifting and easy, this makes the song great to relax to. With “Siren Song,” the album deals with the anxiety that goes along with letting a new person in your life. From the pleads of “go easy, my heart’s not a drum” to “I’m peeling back my pride – it’s gone.”

Another feel-good song on the album is “Arcades & Highways.” The song feels warm and, besides the theme of saying good-bye, cozy. This is mostly because of the mature lyrics and a soft beat. “Secret Drawer” and its witchy lyrics sound soft and, in a way, even up-lifting, then the beat is happy and colorful. It is not common for artists to combine witchcraft with happy beats. This mix contributes to the uniqueness of the song.

As already mentioned, “Gleaming” is one of the highlights of the album, and it comes with no surprise that Emily Yacina released it as a single. “That’s Where I See You” is one of the deep hits on Remember the Silver. The song raises fundamental questions about life, especially with lines like “I have to wonder, what will happen to me?”

While “Bleacher,” “Talk Talk Talk” and “Better off” seems like low points of the album and are less memorable than the other songs, “Ninety Sixth Street” is probably THE deep cut on the entire album. It is emotional and heavy. The song deals with the loss of a loved one and all the terrible feelings that follow. She masterfully captures the void that is left by the loss of a loved one. The album ends with “Funny Timing” and the song seems rather weak after the heavy feelings that go along with “Ninety Sixth Street.”

Remember the Silver is an emotional piece of art that has its highs and lows, yet it’s a great album to relax and unwind to. Emily Yacina’s voice is comforting and memorable. The relationship problems described by her are all too familiar to most people.