Avalon Emerson – ‘& The Charm’ review: a shimmering evolution

2 May, 2023

Avalon Emerson is one of the electronic underground’s most respected names – a globally-renowned DJ and producer who, thanks to genre-agnostic sets where ‘guilty pleasures’ are always welcome, is equally at home playing Berghain in Berlin as she is commanding huge festival stages. But unlike others in the techno sphere, the San Francisco-born, Arizona-raised artist’s love of pure pop has always been clear. From 2016’s fuzzy ‘The Frontier’ to ‘Eternal September’ (2022), Emerson has weaved vibrant melodies and catchy hooks into each production; no wonder she was hand-picked to remix cult favourites Robyn and Christine and the Queens.

After a career of making instrumental dance music primarily by herself, Emerson had different goals for her debut album: to collaborate with friends and evolve her sound. Created during the pandemic, when she had relocated to Los Angeles and her busy touring schedule had ceased due to lockdown, Emerson formed a band, The Charm, with her wife Hunter Lombard, life-long friend Keivon Hobeheidar, and the artist Bullion, who executive produced the self-titled record.

Read more – Avalon Emerson on her shift from the club to dream-pop magic: “It’s fun to be a beginner again”

What immediately stands out about ‘& The Charm’ is not only Emerson’s effortless singing voice but her storytelling ability, one she teased on 2020’s DJ-Kicks mix. Her skill for conjuring compelling narratives is evidenced through lyrics that are often literal, and extremely personal; ‘Entombed In Ice’ finds Emerson reflecting on a previous relationship while ‘Sandrail Silhouette’, which wouldn’t sound out of place on a Khruangbin album, focuses on the passing of time. On ‘Karaoke Song’, she ponders how a past partner is getting on; regardless of how unimportant or inconsequential the topics seem, her questions range from “did you have fun on New Year’s Eve?” to “How is your dog?”

While the instrument arrangements paint a dreamy picture, Emerson’s lyrics depict a darker story. The hazy ‘Hot Evening’ focuses on recent forest fires in LA, while the paradoxical ‘Astrology Poisoning’ highlights the vapidity of Californian celebrity culture over blissful synth whistles and gentle guitar riffs. “Would you have felt it all, another day of glamorous euphoria, in spite of it all”, Emerson asks rhetorically, before ending with the realisation that “these strangers aren’t your friends”.

Although the album is on the whole sonically softer than her solo releases, some tracks still retain a club-friendly undercurrent. Take the free-flowing ‘A Vision’, ‘Dreamliner’s Kelly Lee Owens-esque pulsating synth build up, and the epic near-nine-minute closer ‘A Dam Will Always Divide’.

On the surface, much of ‘& The Charm’ consists of incredibly catchy, radio-friendly pop songs. Yet there’s far more deeper within that makes this cinematic album so special, such as The Stone’ where Emerson sings “and I know tough love gets old, but I want you to know, that I’ll always be your home”. Personal yet relatable pop music that makes itself heard thanks to its intricacies, ‘& The Charm’ is a remarkable evolution.