After the release of In Our Own Way, we sat down with EMBRZ, who revealed how he’s preserved his authentic self while exploring the depths of love.
In the ever-changing landscape of electronic dance music, few artists manage to capture both the heart and the imagination. Jack Casey, who goes by the moniker EMBRZ, has proven that electronic music can be a soul-stirring and profoundly moving experience. His music invites listeners to explore a world of emotion and beauty while filling their ears with euphoric melodies and dreamy soundscapes. When he began writing music in his teens, nothing could’ve prepared him for how his career would take off only a few years later.
House music icon Lane 8 caught wind of EMBRZ’s talents in 2020 and immediately took him under his wing. He has since fostered a forever home for his distinctive brand of melodic house music on his label, This Never Happened. EMBRZ has already racked up quite an impressive discography on the label, having released multiple singles, EPs, and even his debut album on the renowned imprint. Just last month, he also handed over his sophomore album, In Our Own Way, to TNH which, to him, “felt like a no-brainer.” Lane 8 may have helped ignite the career of EMBRZ, but his journey is only just beginning to heat up.
In Our Own Way signifies an important milestone of EMBRZ’s career. His artistic development and matured vision are evident in the album’s intricate production and thematic depth. Embracing a vast sonic spectrum, the album offers a diverse blend of electronic sub-genres while never losing sight of his core signature sound. It also displays his songwriting skills with a handful of tracks featuring his own delicate vocals, while maintaining a cohesive narrative and encouraging listeners to explore themes of love and connection.
We all show love in our own way, whether it be through words, acts of kindness or simple gestures. Mine is through music, and this album has been my way of both exploring and expressing it. I’ve always found it difficult to talk about how I feel, especially when it comes to love. At its core, that’s what ‘In Our Own Way’ is all about: love and connection.
EMBRZ
The sky’s the limit for EMBRZ and with this album, he has solidified his place within electronic music. Continue reading below for our chat on how he makes music In “His” Own Way.
Stream EMBRZ – In Our Own Way on Spotify:
Hi EMBRZ! Thank you so much for taking the time to chat with us today. First off, a huge congratulations on the release of your sophomore album In Our Own Way. You can really hear how your sound has grown and evolved since your debut album, but how do you feel you’ve grown as an artist since the release of Moments?
Cheers! I feel I’ve grown as a songwriter over the last year or so. I enjoy producing, but find writing lyrics to be more personal, which can be intimidating but also rewarding. A lot of the songs on my new album were born from me just messing around on the piano, humming random ideas until something clicked. Then, when the song was formed, I’d begin the production on the computer. There are a lot of tracks that I’m singing on, but that actually wasn’t intentional. We explored different vocalists, but it either didn’t feel right, or I just got used to my voice on the demo, and switching felt weird.
But besides that, I wanted diversity of sound. I love all types of music and wanted to have a few bangers, some chill pop tracks, and everything in between. The fact that ‘Hypnotise’ & ‘Grá’ make up the same album feels great to me.
Given this is your second album released on Lane 8’s imprint, This Never Happened, what about the label makes it the perfect home for this album and your music in general?
I’ve only had great experiences working with TNH over the past two years or so, on the last album and many EPs. I love that Daniel (Lane 8) is closely involved in the music, always giving great feedback and suggesting ideas. It’s different when one of your favourite producers gives you feedback! But I also feel like we’re in sync with what I’m trying to do. TNH has given me the creative freedom to write the music I want (which is also when I write my best) because I think we’re all on the same page about the project and its vision. The label also has a great community of loyal fans, not to mention all the artists on the roster that I’ve met, hung out with, and had a blast with at shows. So it felt like a no-brainer.
In a Facebook post, you said, “This album is about exploring the different types of love.” Can you elaborate on this?
I’m not very good at talking about my emotions in real life; I just get too awkward, unless I’ve had several beers. [Laughs] But music has always been a safe place for me to dive into things that I find hard to verbalize, and that’s what I wanted to do with this album. Cause what could be bigger than this subject [love]? When I was writing, I just found it interesting that there are different ways of expressing love without saying it. Writing music has been my way, I guess. There are songs about things personal to me, and then there are songs about stories in TV shows or being inspired by a certain idea I read or hear about.
In Our Own Way features a handful of tracks with your own vocals on them. What made you decide to showcase your own vocals on specific tracks?
Good question, because it is a different skill to producing. I feel like you have to remove yourself from your computer and technology and go back to basics. Pen, paper, guitar/piano, and just try out ideas. It’s definitely not for everyone. I’ve been lucky to work with a great songwriter, Glen Roberts, for a couple of years, and the many writing sessions I’ve had with him have really helped me get better. You just have to test out ideas and not feel embarrassed if they suck because that bad idea can usually lead to something else that works. Also, I want to hear the artists I listen to tell me something about themselves in their music.
What advice and/or tips do you have for producers who are looking to sing and write lyrics for their own tracks?
My general rule for writing and it’s just something I’ve learned over the years, is to write music for yourself. If you like it, then it’s good enough.
You are midway through your North American album tour. What are you most looking forward to on the rest of the tour?
The shows! Honestly, traveling sounds good on paper; you get to go to all these different places, but it gets exhausting, and you don’t really have that much time to go explore. So much of touring is trying to conserve your energy and catch up on sleep. But every time I’m on stage, no matter how wrecked I am, and people are there to have a good time, singing back the words to my songs, it’s a special feeling. Sounds corny, but it’s incredible. Now if they could just invent teleportation, then touring would be a piece of cake.
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