“You Talkin’ To Me?” – Emily Victoria
An undulating ode to the shifting of time, memory and the world around us, Melbourne singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Emily Victoria returns with a sublime new dream pop-laced single Memorise, also accompanied by an exquisitely filmed and edited photobook-inspired music video. Expansive, dreamy and magnetically heartfelt, Memorise finds Emily drawing inspiration from a range of specific artists and songs, including Massive Attack’s Unfinished Sympathy, Acopia’s Holding On, Purient’s WBWU, and City Moon’s Love Spirals Downwards. A lush dreamy pop universe steeped with moments of soft melodics, warm fuzz and angelic synths, the journey to the ultimate release of Memorise was also deeply shaped by the impact of time on memories, reflected by the ever-changing seasons themselves.
Produced by Nao Anzai and Lewis Moody and Gareth Thomson (vocal production) and mastering by Seb Moomin, with additional instrumentation provided by Anthony Farrugia, Jacob Long, Lewis Moody and Sam Clarke, Memorise also vividly comes to life via its accompanying music video. Directed by Brendan Schoenmaker alongside a stellar team, the clip captures the visualisation of memory itself, with inspiration taken from photobooks as well as the work of Alexandra Savior and films A Ghost Story and Bones. From filming at 5am on beaches earlier this year to careful colour consideration, the clip seamlessly links to Emily’s sharp lyricism and the track’s overarching dream-like state.
Hi my name is Emily Victoria . It is the middle of the night. My cat Tuxedo is curled up on the bed and I have been listening to Peter Murphy’s record ‘Deep’. It feels quiet and still here.
Name: Emily Victoria
Alias: It used to be Tessa Finch when I was 16 , I liked the name for some reason. It was also my old email address . .
In less than 50 words describe your music, and yourself.
Usually the music I make is an extension of how I’m feeling and most of the time it is a mixture of Ambient / Jazz / Jangle / Dream Pop with sombre melodies and bright chord progressions. I’m curious about the world and finding new ways of seeing things.
What was the first rock/pop concert you attended?
Queens of the Stone Age / Nine Inch Nails double headline. At the time I was a huge QOTSA fan and even walked out for the Nine Inch Nails set. Now that I think about it, I’m really not sure why I walked out for the set!!
Punk or Goth Music:
I love both. Goth??
Who are you excited about, music wise, at the moment?
This weekend I’ve been revisiting Japan / David Sylvian / Peter Murphy / Dalis Car records that I used to be obsessed with. When I read about Dalis Car and how it failed to take off, the music is a bit strange, however the bass lines and arrangements are so intriguing. . . Brilliant Trees could be my favourite album of all time. It’s definitely up there.
The Best live artist/band you’ve seen:
Every time I see a band with an extensive catalogue in a large space that plays constantly for a few hours I’m convinced it’s the best thing I’ve ever seen. Two of my favourite shows would have to be The Cure at Rod Laver Arena. The visuals for A Forest were beautiful!!! Last year I saw The Stranglers at Northcote Theatre with my dad, and we were both convinced it was one of the best things we’d seen and were walking the streets of Northcote for ages to process it.
Your “In the mood for love” song:
Straight away so many romantic songs come to mind. Nancy Wilson’s collaboration with Cannonball Adderley which I think is called Nancy Wilson / Cannonball Adderley has been a favourite for ages, particularly when I’m in the city. Save Your Love For Me is a beautiful love song, of course to be followed by the song Never Will I Marry!! I also love Vince Jones so much . Definitely listen to his song You Don’t Know Me from the album Watch What Happens. I was introduced to this song by Barney McCall when I went to Jazz school.
What are you currently reading?
A book about Chrissie Amphlett’s life. What an inspiration.
Your favourite Sunday morning chill out record?
An Astrid Gilberto record. Particularly if the weather is hot, with cool drinks and thoughtfully assembled fruit salads. I really want to learn the art of fruit chopping cantaloupe and pineapples and create detailed shapes with them.
Which song do you wish you had written?
Misty Roses by Tim Hardin, Walk on By by Burt Bacharach or Wild is the Wind by Dimitri Tiomkin and Ned Washington.
Author Manuel Puig said “I’m not terribly happy about rock and roll. Rock music is uninspiring, numbing; it makes you feel like an idiot.” Discuss.
I think it depends on the individual behind the microphone to be honest. If the individual is authentic with what they are doing and has a beautiful musical voice it can be life changing.
Vinyl, Cassette, CD, mp3 or Streaming?
I used to be obsessed with the idea of cassettes. CDs are my heart.
If you could hang out with any music artist, in a bar one afternoon, who would it be?
Nina Simone. I’d be really scared though!! She lives and breathes what she is doing and has overcome enormous challenges in her life. She speaks her mind which I appreciate, you don’t doubt what she’s saying.
What is your worst habit?
I have two bad habits – staying up all night and sometimes skipping meals if I’ve overscheduled myself. I’m actually really passionate about food and cooking, however if I’m time poor, I usually use my adrenaline and excitement about music to keep working.
How often do you look at your mobile phone?
Frequently. It’s always for a purpose though and there’s always projects, my music teaching business and other things going on. I was fortunate to hear the editor of New Philosopher (the magazine) speak about owning technology, not technology owning you when I was around 15 and thought about it quite a lot.
Any good back stage stories?
I played at Ubud Village Jazz Festival (in Bali) in 2017. It was in an overgrown garden area next to an old temple. I’m not sure if this is an amazing backstage story, however the lush setting really took my breath away and I had some really interesting spontaneous conversations with people. There were a few old men painting the temple and stage setting in deep colours and creating different textures. It was one of those really beautiful memories . .
An alien lands on Earth and wants to know what Rock and roll sounds like. What song do you play them? Haha. Just this imagery makes me think of Back to the Future and Johnny B. Goode or something.
Favourite all time TV show:
The Secret Lives of Us. The script is so beautiful and it is set in St Kilda. I love how every episode has a different theme which subtly weaves through the episodes. The cast has so much soul too.
What is your specialty in the kitchen?
At the moment it is baking. A comfort habit is baking three things, make cake / biscuits / slice at 10pm. My mum is a prolific baker and used to stay up until the early hours of the morning baking and sometimes she’d let me stay up and watch all the cakes come out of the oven. I feel very connected to her when I bake. I also love my granolas / mueslis combos, it’s the reason I get out of bed in the morning.
With whom would you like to record a song with?
My friends Michael and Lulu . We used to be in a band called My Tree Origin together 10 years ago which we miss a lot. We have started getting together again. Michael loves Jazz music and camping and Lulu has an incredible voice and taught me the art of writing lyrics 5 minutes before a show!
You have tickets to see The Killers and Bruce Springsteen but they are on the same night. Which one do you attend?
Bruce Springsteen for sure ! I actually saw The Killers when I was 14 at one of the last Big Day Out events. So, I’d be fortunate to see both. : )
Where do you hope to be in 12 months?
Overseas writing and learning new things.
Interview By Geoff Jenke
Connect with Emily Victoria
Facebook ~ Instagram ~ Spotify
