7/10

Arriving almost five years since the release of her sophomore album 'Virtue', Emmy The Great has returned with her signature sound of quaint and elegant music for a third full-length outing. 'Second Love' may be her third album but can obviously be seen as a companion piece to her debut 'First Love' as she looks to hark back to her origins and deliver a blissful yet modest return this time around.

Although she has always had a quirk in creating a more leftfield approach to her production, this new release sees that influence stripped back to almost bare bones as she makes her own voice the focus of this new record. An almost mechanical backdrop of ticking beats and looped guitar hooks make this album very hypnotic in its direction, and ends up becoming one of the most soothing and relaxing albums we have heard this year.

While it may have a slightly monotonous feel to it, Emmy's glorious vocals are what help bring this record to life and ultimately becomes the centre of this new release. A cohesive return from someone we are glad to be hearing again.