With three albums under her belt, Emily Elbert is no stranger to the music industry. The folk singer has shared her music across the world, doing shows from Peru, all the way to Palestine. No stage fright here, as she has even played in bands accompanying artists such as Lorde, Gwen Stefani, and Sara Bareilles. Taking some time to focus on her solo music, Elbert recently released “Not Alone”, her latest single talking about the delicacy of human life and how no one is ever truly alone.
Elbert’s delicate and breathy voice elegantly guides listeners through the track, while the strums of echoed guitar follow suit. The melody is intimate and soft, but slowly picks up through the course of the song. As the chorus approaches, soft percussion can be heard, adding yet another beautiful layer to the track. Her voice is subtly unique as she almost whispers each lyric effortlessly.
We’re matter reassembled
From millions of stars
The poetic lyricism at work here is in true Elbert fashion. Her usage of science as symbolism is beautifully worded to say the least, and true as well. Not only is Elbert a talented and gifted musician, but she’s also an amazing storyteller. Her lyrics are anything but surface level; they’re thought provoking, figurative, and refreshing. This isn’t a newfound talent though, as Elbert has been putting philosophers out of business for years. The title track from her 2013 album Evolve follows a similar idea as “Not Alone”. The idea being that, as humans, we are all made from the same flesh and bones, but that is exactly where our differences lie. As she said in “Evolve”, we are more than the sum of all our parts, and her new track carries this philosophy even further.
Eye to eye
And hand to heart
To soul
To be alive means never to be alone
We’re not alone
It’s easy to feel alone in the world, especially when everyone around you seems to be handling things just fine. Taking more of a literal approach to the meaning of loneliness, Elbert offers up a sort of comfort through this single to those who may be feeling isolated.
Though at times it seems the road we’re on is lonely
Every stranger seeks the feeling of belonging
And she’s right. While things may feel lonesome, there are millions of other people feeling the same exact way. This doesn’t solve the existential problem of loneliness, but it does soften the blow for sure. How can you ever be alone if you are surrounded by millions of different versions of yourself? We are all technically the same, so this is the question Elbert attempts to answer.
Our shared atmosphere whispers to our stardust bodies
You have nothing to fear
We’re never really alone because we live in a world full of other beings. We have different lives and different stories, but there is something that we all have in common. This commonality is the origin of our creation, as we are all made up of the same building blocks. Elbert makes this connection obvious, and it’s one that will leave you thinking.
