Emily Mulenga finds glitter in the breakdown on “The Cure”
With “The Cure,” Emily Mulenga returns not just with a new single, but with a sharpened artistic identity, one that’s confidently fused 2000’s inspired dance and pop. It’s her first release since her debut EP earlier this year, and it arrives with the conviction of an artist who’s confidently stepping into her next era. As a producer, visual artist, and classically trained musician, Mulenga is pushing her boundaries even further on a track that’s introspective and irresistibly fun.
Mulenga has a knack for channeling nostalgia without sounding stuck in it. “The Cure” taps into the effervescence of early-millennium dance pop with those unmissable synths and glossy hooks, while using a style to tell a story rooted in her “personal crisis”. Her vocals are still unbelievably modern as she sings with both a vulnerability and attitude, giving the track all the emotion you could ever need.
With very good reason, production has always been one of her strongest tools, and here she wields it like a legit master of her craft. The synths are bold, commanding the foreground while layers of subtle electronic textures flicker underneath for some super cool effect. The chorus is massive and expertly constructed, the kind that actually had us singing along by the end of the song. Each section of the song expands with more depth and richness when you actually pay attention to everything that isn’t her voice. Listening with headphones is a must!
It’s danceable but somehow meditative and the way that she’s combined all these elements in kind of jaw dropping. We feel as though she’s used dance pop not just for the sake of it, but as a vehicle for processing the messier parts of being human. Sometimes the most cathartic truths arrive wrapped in synth sparkle and unforgettable hooks. If that was the vision, she’s completely nailed the execution.
“The Cure” is certainly both a continuation and a transformation that was built with her debut EP and from now on it’s only getting bigger and bolder. It marks her as one of pop’s most exciting new multi-hyphenates, an artist who knows how to make a song feel like something that is so much more than just a song you listen to and never come back to.
We’re sat for the new era! Listen in to this song, follow along for more, and make sure to stay tuned for everything else in the works.
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