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Lee Emi (Emilee Petersmark of The Crane Wives) unveils her new single/music video, “Smoke in Empty Rooms,” a track lifted from her upcoming debut album, Destroy Everything, set to release on October 2.
“Smoke in Empty Rooms” shows a quieter, more personal side of Lee Emi. Written from the hurt and distance of the pandemic, the song turns grief into something instinctive and direct. Acoustic guitar carries her voice at first, then harmonies and Emi’s clear voice build toward the ending. Paired with a surreal music video, the track focuses on the pain of losing someone close and not being able to say goodbye.
Emi explains, “This song came from the depths of the COVID-19 lockdown, unable to go to a loved one’s funeral, desperately trying to find human connection through FaceTime calls, listening to my dad cry on the phone and wishing I could be with him, knowing that I couldn’t. ‘Smoke in Empty Rooms’ is about that feeling of isolation, and the fear of losing someone you’ll never get to say goodbye to.”
The same search for meaning runs through Destroy Everything. Across the album, Emi questions ideas about identity, family, the body, and belonging. The record grew out of several difficult experiences at once: pandemic isolation, a rare kidney disease diagnosis, and her lifelong effort to understand her story as a Korean adoptee raised in Michigan. Her name, Lee Emi, is part of that process.
Emi says, “My original name was Lee Sang-Eun, but I was always afraid to use it. For this project, we’re going to burn down what doesn’t serve us anymore and mix the Western and Eastern culture.”
Emi is also known for her work with The Crane Wives. Since 2010, she has been the band’s main songwriter, co-lead singer, and guitarist. With the group, she has released five studio albums and performed sold-out shows in the US and Europe. At the same time, she was slowly gathering the songs that would become Destroy Everything.
“Smoke in Empty Rooms” travels on an evocative guitar topped by Emi’s refined voice, delicate and oh-so expressive. When the soft harmonies enter, the tune conveys a beautiful aura of depth and vulnerable emotions.
“I get anxious on my own / And it gets worse when I’m alone / Won’t you take me somewhere else / Where I cannot hurt myself / Anywhere / I’d go anywhere.”
With a particular focus on the feeling of loneliness, on “Smoke in Empty Rooms, Lee Emi outlines her own redemption. This is a grandly cathartic song.
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Live Dates and Tickets:
Oct 3 Grand Rapids, MI @ Pyramid Scheme (Album Release Show)
Nov 6 Columbus, OH @ Skully’s
Nov 7 Pittsburgh, PA @ Thunderbird Cafe
Nov 8 Philadelphia, PA @ First Unitarian Church
Nov 10 Towson, MD @ The Recher
Nov 11 Hamden, CT @ Space Ballroom
Nov 13 Albany, NY @ The Lark
Nov 14 Boston, MA @ Crystal Ballroom
Nov 15 New York, NY @ Racket
Nov 17 Buffalo, NY @ Iron Works
Nov 19 Cleveland, OH @ Beachland Ballroom
Nov 20 Ferndale, MI @ Magic Bag
Nov 21 Kalamazoo, MI @ Bell’s Backroom
Nov 22 Chicago, IL @ Lincoln Hall
