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Gentle Persuasion

by See Emily Play

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Singer-songwriter Emily Ireland, better known as See Emily Play, knows a lot about millennial anxiety. ‘If we’ve been on this planet since 1992, you’d think we’d have worked it out by now, that we’d know what to do’ she sings on her upcoming release, ‘Gentle Persuasion’, encapsulating the relatable terror of being in your late-twenties or early-thirties and not yet being sorted. Produced by her brother, Tom, in her parents’ basement, the track is a loving homage to the indie-pop of the decade Ireland was born in.

Garage-rock guitar lines are contrasted with twee keyboard melodies. Ireland’s expressive vocals tell the well-worn story of a relationship that fails to blossom, but don’t be fooled by the track’s seeming simplicity. The song’s title is a reference to Jane Austen’s Persuasion, a 200-year-old novel that explores the same themes of life-stage angst, difficult-to-read romances, and a love story that doesn’t have a start. The anxieties Ireland recounts are perhaps not as millennial as at first appears.

lyrics

He walks into a room as if he hopes that no one noticed
And I’m sitting in the corner and I’m struggling to focus
And I’m saying all these things and feeling like I’m still at school
I forget the names and places dude, I’m crushing over you
I thought I was okay but then someone changed the lighting
And now all I see is you my friend it’s really kind of frightening
And if we’ve been on this planet since 1992
You’d think we’d worked it out by now that we’d know what to do but

I thought I was doing just fine (just fine)
Patiently distracting myself while I wait in the line but
I’m so strung out on all you are
It’s the greatest love story that doesn’t have a start

Often it will happen that I won’t know what to say
A furtive glace a second chance I’m frittering away
I often think I’ve lost him on any such occasion
But he reads a lot of Austen and he needs some more Persuasion
But he doesn’t think I’m up to it or that he’s got the time
So I’m left with the memory of his face pressed against mine
And the smell of his clothes, And his hands in my hair
And the beat of his heart

I thought I was doing just fine (just fine)
Patiently distracting myself from the fact he knows the next line but
I’d do anything to be in that car
It’s the greatest love story that doesn’t have a start
Doesn’t have a start
Doesn’t have a start
And I never did understand art

credits

releases March 22, 2024

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See Emily Play UK

Emily Ireland, known as See Emily Play, writes captivating songs across indie, alt-country, and chamber-pop, in a style that is uniquely hers. Her lyrics explore mental health and unconventional romances with a self-effacing humour and a complex feminism. When performing, her arresting stage presence and distinctive vocals never fail to capture the attention of an unsuspecting audience. ... more

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