The third record from the NYC trio, Emita Ox is dropping at the ideal time for Hello Mary. Whilst the band may have already established a strong following on their side of the Atlantic, the release of this record ideally coincides with their debut UK tour alongside math/emo icons American Football. Whereas the band’s first two full lengths – 2020’s Ginger and 2023’s Hello Mary, respectfully – were perfectly fine homages to dosed-up, blissed-out, fuzzy 90s alt-rock, this record takes a more left-field approach to all things reverberating. With a newfound focus on off-kilter rhythms, mixed-metre compositions, proggy structures, added instrumentation and the incorporation of shoegaze, noise-rock and all things adjacent, Emita Ox feels like a fresh introduction to this band for those already in the know. It’s like Silversun Pickups for the ArcTanGent crowd.
The opening gambit of ‘Float’, ‘0%’ and the suitably titled ‘Three’ present their evolution and shift into more experimental pastures. As the aforementioned opener takes that up-to-date 90’s nostalgia sound popularised by bands like Momma and infuses it with a sense of strained tension that erupts with noise-rock fury, ‘0%’ feels like a fusion of Gouge Away and Hum, its pendulating angst complimented by brutish walls of fuzz and sudden quiet glockenspiel.
In the case of ‘Three’, the track wonderfully harkens thoughts of progressive experimentalists on this side of the Atlantic in the key of PEACH, Sans Froid and Mall Girl, thanks to a shimmering static, irregular piano riff and its blanketing atmosphere that’s somehow both soothing and totally uncanny. The proceeding ‘Down My Life’ further pays homage to this sentiment, but it’s these tracks that initially showcases not just how surprisingly experimental is, but how brilliantly organic and authentic it is.
Emita Ox, for all intents and purposes, sounds like a debut record. It just has that zeal to it; the fresh air of a band most inspired to present a sound they long tinkered to sound homegrown and unique. Certain aspects of this record rightfully harken back to the band’s relative roots – its underpinning alt-rock inspiration for one – but the way the band have managed to subvert often binding expectations without resorting to artificial shoehorning of other genres is seamless and airtight. That lowkey soft grunge foundation of this band remains undamaged and intact, but this overall structure is far more post-modernist than it is reminiscent of a time gone by.
‘Knowing You’, for example, may inspired by acts such as Smashing Pumpkins and their kin, but with its shoegazing and tone that’s comparable to a field recording of a table saw, to compare it to any of the acts in the vein of the Pumpkins would be foolish. Every track on this record, from the burst noise-rock and swelling dream-pop bliss of ‘Bubble’ to the breezy expanded instrumentalism of ‘Everything We Do’ just feels like divinely inspired and removed from the nostalgic homages this band where commonly known for.
Ultimately though, the it’s two-hit wonder ‘Footsteep Misstep’ and ‘Courtesy’ that stands as the best tracks on this record. A product of their newfound experimentation whilst standing as approachable and digestible as the alt-rock hits of nineties America, these two tracks perfectly encapsulate the spirit, charisma and confidence that binds Emita Ox. As the vocal melodies between Helena Straight (vocals, guitar), Stella Wave (drums, vocals) navigate swelling and unconstrained passages of shoegaze that border upon post-rock territory, the former of ‘Courtesy’ is an angsty teenage ballad for the progressive-minded chin stokers amongst us. Furthermore, these cuts highlight how approachable this record is and how it can appreciated by newcomers to all things left-field. Emita Ox is a surprising, but wholly welcome record filled with natural experimentation amongst trusty sounds that are familiar to all. When the thousands of American Football ticket holders are greeted by this band this week, there’s no doubt they will be leaving with a newfound interest in Hello Mary.