Brooklyn-based singer/songwriter, Joey Primero, alongside a collective of New York City-based musicians, is El Mar, who has garnered adulation from Billboard, Paste Magazine, Impose Magazine, and more. El Mar released their debut EP The Road in 2015 and their debut album Try To Forget in 2017.
Their upcoming EP Walking With Dogs is due out this Spring. Recorded in just two days in Brooklyn in the Fall of 2017, the EP was written by Primero after she left a career as a music publicist: “I dived fully into El Mar and all of the songs were written while I was, well, walking with dogs.”
The latest single, “New Life”, is the first track off the new EP. First of all, this track is surprisingly upbeat for a post-breakup song with its soothing guitar and tight drums which results in an infectious alternative rock melody. Most noteworthy is Primero’s angelic voice when it hits the powerful high notes but also brings the emotional soul-bearing of the lyrics to the forefront. Furthermore, a particularly haunting part of the track is where only a beautiful acoustic guitar accompanies Primero. The result is that her vocals exude a power behind the sweetness.
The song explores the notion of whether the person who cruelly broke your heart deserves your good wishes for their new life without you. Maybe they don’t because they’re as messed up as the world is. Consequently, there are some great subtleties in the lyrics. As a result, the song is a fresh take on heartache and the complexities of moving on. And you’ll find yourself pressing replay again and again.
Highly Recommended. You should keep Joey Primero on your radar; she is a talented artist that you’ll be hearing a lot about.
If you’re in New York City, check out El Mar at Rockwood Music Hall on February 22.
Follow El Mar on social media:
Twitter: @i_am_el_mar
Instagram: @i_am_el_mar
Check out El Mar on Soundcloud