Emily Frembgen released her first proper studio album with producer Hugh Pool (Taj Mahal, Debbie Harry, Michael Pitt) at Excello Studio in Greenpoint, Brooklyn, in 2021. Irreverently titled It’s Me or the Dog, it was received warmly by critics and radio alike, with Glide Magazine calling it “a strong study in writing both melodies and powerful lyrics.” In many ways, it looked like her career was just beginning, but it took a long time to get to the beginning.
It took some time, but Emily eventually found her footing in the music scene largely by way of the comedy scene, producing comedy and music shows at the doughnut shop where she worked. This led to co-writing and performing the theme song to Kate Willett’s popular podcast “Reply Guys,” touring with Ben Kronberg (Last Comic Standing), and having Clare O’Kane (Saturday Night Live, Shrill) direct her upcoming music video for “Fentanyl.” She also became part of the Antifolk community that originated at the Sidewalk Cafe on the Lower East Side. There, she starred alongside Jason Trachtenburg (Trachtenburg Family Slideshow) in his musical Me & Lee. She opened for Jeffrey Lewis multiple times and was featured on “Songs By Turner Cody: A Tribute Album” alongside Adam Green, Diane Cluck, and Toby Goodshank. She also became a mainstay at Knitting Factory where she ran a weekly Americana series for several years and opened for Wayne Hancock, John Craigie, Daniel Rodriguez, and Paisley Fields.
Her upcoming release, No Hard Feelings (due out early 2024), is more introspective than her previous album. While It’s Me or the Dog is relationship-focused, No Hard Feelings explores her past and the echoes of alienation that inform her present. This is in no small part due to the fact that these songs were written after the major world shift of 2020—“Fentanyl,” the first single, opens with the line “Two years of doing nothing makes everybody crazy.”
Today Glide is excited to premiere the video for “Fentanyl,” a song about the kind of alienation that can render a person motionless and self-medicated. With lyrics and that are vivid and darkly humorous, this catchy song finds Emily leaning into an acoustic-driven style of folk rock that is brimming with sharp and twangy guitar and vocals that bring to mind the likes of Lucinda Williams, Laura Cantrell, and Amy Rigby. Though the lyrics aren’t directly about the drug that is currently plaguing America, the reference feels like an apt metaphor as Emily laments the loss of who she was before the world shift of 2020 when it felt easier to connect with people. The video captures this feeling with its communal imagery and ultimate portrayal of Emily resisting the pressure to be part of a group. The song also marks a major step forward for an artist with huge promise that is surely going to be attracting attention from critics and fans with the release of her new album.
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