Nostalgic indie pop with a deeply moving undertone; delicate vocals, vulnerability and acoustic purity at its core – Emilia Vaughn impresses, with the intimacy and heartbreaking revelations of Skeleton.
Building up slowly but surely across a post four-minute soundscape, Skeleton connects initially for its distant acoustic guitar strum, and the breathy softness of Emilia’s voice. We also get humble dashes of design in the form of cinematically sweeping synths that blow over like a cool wind.
Melodically and lyrically the indie pop reference seems on point, long form verses feel both familiar and unpredictable – subtly resolving each stream of consciousness outpouring with a mild reference to the body or bones of the concept.
At its core, Skeleton speaks on broken relationships – the pain of separation and sudden isolation. It’s a common topic to cover in music as it’s so broadly relatable, but there’s a defiant originality in the poetic, metaphorical and scene-setting manner in which Emilia Vaughn has tackled it. This strength, combined with the rising intensity and emotion of the soundscape and performance, allows Skeleton to connect in a whole new way.
Things continue to build, the latter half adopting a sort of reflective sense of overcoming, but not without a twist of resentment, dismay, and disheartenment – qualities made clear in both the increased passion of the vocal delivery and the rising scorn of the lyrics.
A brilliant single, in short – recognisable in its timeless musicality but also completely distinct for its unusual structure and depth; including the brief shift to that middle-8 rhythmic peak. Everything just works, the energy building and building, the final moments resolving with this again relatable reflection of ‘At least I know’.
Download or stream Skeleton. Find Emilia Vaughn on Instagram, TikTok, YouTube & her Website.
