Cape Town-based duo Emerger deliver a shimmering, hook-filled Alt-Pop gem with the release of their latest single “Aeroplane Park,” a nostalgic fever dream about love and longing, set at the turn of the millennium.
The track, produced and mixed by co-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Gerry Matthee, is a meticulously crafted mid-tempo affair that drapes Emma de Goede’s intimate and pristine vocals in lush soundscapes backed by a percolating beat. “I think it’s safe to say it’s one of our favourites so far,” says Matthee, who recorded and mixed the track at the duo’s recently launched SoundBorough Studios. He also mixed the track in Dolby Atmos™, the spatial audio technology that creates a fully immersive listening experience, which can be streamed on Apple Music.
“Aeroplane Park” speaks to universal feelings about the innocence of youth, the longing for connection and the pain of separation; a meditation on the roads we travel and the choices we make. De Goede, keyboardist and chief lyricist of the duo, does not shy away from how personal the song is for her. In fact, “Aeroplane Park” is a real place – a playground near the singer’s childhood home – and the song reflects the early days of the relationship between the two band members, who are life partners as well as musical ones. “Memory is fleeting, and I wanted to capture some of what I remember from my childhood,” says De Goede. “This song is a bit of time travel for me – to reflect on a specific time, place and person. How I recall feeling about it then and what it means today when seen through the eyes of an adult.”
Matthee agrees: “We can never truly appreciate the points in time that accumulate as a lifetime of experience. We often need to do more living to give it all context. We have a few more miles on us since those days at the playground – it’s nice to reflect on how we’ve both grown since then.”
Emerger remembers with great fondness the days when MTV played music videos 24/7. For “Aeroplane Park,” the duo set out to tell a story about first love blooming at the turn of the millennium while also paying homage to the favourite network of their formative years.
The video, written, directed and edited by the duo, finds the adult De Goede cavorting in a mid-20th century home with her younger self (played by Stella van Zyl) and replaying her memories of the special connection that formed with her childhood friend Matthee (played by Michail Etsebeth) while spending time in the aeroplane-themed playground near her home.
“Aeroplane Park” was shot on location in Cape Town, lensed by cinematographer/director of photography Kyle Wesson and with technical and design support from Divan Putter and Pascale de Brandt.
For Emerger, 2022 is poised to be a breakout year, with a slate of releases and performances on tap to slake the thirst of their ever-growing fanbase as the duo continues to refine their irresistible sound. The music industry has taken note, recognizing De Goede and Matthee with numerous songwriting awards and high-profile airplay via terrestrial and satellite radio and across all major streaming platforms.
Emerger’s self-produced debut mini album “Bloom” (2018) received international acclaim, with their first single “Break & Fall” selected from nearly 5000 entrants as winner of the Avid and Abbey Road Song Contest. Since then, the group has been showcased multiple times by BBC Introducing and BBC Radio 6 Music, featured in Apple Music’s New Artist Spotlight (including its “Best Of” playlist) and featured in various official Spotify playlists (including “New Music Fridays South Africa”, “Feel Good Look Good” and “SAlt”).
Expect to see much more from this up-and-coming duo in the months ahead, including a full album, video support, social media events and live performances.
