Shocking Pinks – Emily

• 3rd Apr 2008

Emily, the current single from New Zealand songster Nick Harte (a.k.a Shocking Pinks), is a subtle and moody guitar ode to unrequited love.

Combining a delicate, half-mumbled vocal with layers of raw distortion, Emily easily puts you in mind of a shy teenager and the unknowing object of his affections. After a stomping, Joy Division-esque intro, lyrics like, ‘Emily, you cut your hair /but I’d never care/as long as you’re still there’ immediately grab your attention.

Accompanying album track Emily is an exclusive cover of Magnetic Fields Nothing Matters When We’re Dancing, a beautifully gentle acoustic that speaks of summer and sunshine and other lovely things.

Shocking Pinks’ self-titled debut album released on DFA records last September featured Cutout and Dressed to Please, which are also part of this package in remixed forms. I’ve got nothing against remixes, per se, but here the music goes off in a very sudden and different direction to the previous five minutes of music.

The Expanding Head Band version of Cutout sounds like a focused dance number from the soundtrack of Run Lola Run, whilst the Lee Douglas Remix is completely different, taking the track in a more Faithless-like direction. Technically sound though they are, you can’t help wanting to hear the original, how Harte wanted it to sound, as both are a complete departure from the style of the first two tracks.

The same goes for Dressed to Please. At eleven minutes, the Echospace Reduction is nearly six times the length of title track Emily. The Deepchord Remix and Nathan Fake Remix each have their own techno styles and subtleties, but seem so at odds with the indie-rock sound of the first track that it is hard to be sure about who Shocking Pinks really are.

Shocking Pinks are currently touring New Zealand and Australia, Harte (who impressively wrote and played everything on the album) accompanied by 2 ex-members of rockers The D4.

A likeable, if slightly confusing, bunch of tracks, this single release is a clear indication of Shocking Pinks potential.