Tackling the pertinent issue of climate change in her debut album Let’s Talk About The Weather, Emily Magpie is a stirring new force to keep an eye on.

The problem of climate change is one that has been narrated in multiple forms, but dream-pop artist and producer Emily Magpie adds her own spin upon it in her debut album Let’s Talk About The Weather in a manner that re-focuses your attention on the long-discussed issue. Instead of feeling like yet another chime in the ever-growing discourse on the climate crisis, Emily’s ambient soundscapes and creative ventures bring a sense of novelty that exhibits the issue through a different lens, captivating the wholehearted attention of listeners in her effort. Interweaving snippets of spoken word from climate activists and haunting, hypnotic melodies, it’s a spellbinding work that immerses listeners right at the core of the music.

Emily explains her inspirations behind making the album, saying:

I wanted to make an album which sounds on the surface like alt-pop music, and is full of collected sounds from our times and the world around us. I feel like there’s a lot of hope and a yearning to connect to something deeper, and reassess what’s important, but also dark undertones of where we could be headed if we don’t wake up and change.

With such a pertinent message driving the piece of work, we talked more with Emily – not only about the weather, but also about the process behind creating the album.

What’s a motto you live by?

To have as many adventures as possible, put good out into the world, and love as hard as I can.

If your sound had a colour, what colour would it be and why?

Maybe a hazy dirty pink… Feminine and gentle but with a bit of something darker underneath. I often feel drawn to that colour for album artwork.

What are the things you hold to be most important?

Other humans, being interconnected with the world around me and appreciating it, feeling free.. also eating delicious food, not gonna lie.

What would you encourage people to do to get engaged with climate action? What have you personally been involved with?

Through arranging this album launch I’ve been in touch with various amazing charities – The Woodland Trust, One Tree Per Child and More Trees BANES are supporting us in this project. We’ll be planting 200 trees post-event as planting trees is a beautiful, simple and effective tool in climate action. Sometimes the simplest actions are the best. I think start small and local, find out what’s happening in your local community and just start DOING. Obviously with the current social isolation the focus is shifted to helping those vulnerable right now, so I’m joining groups in my area to do shops for people in need, etc. Beyond this crisis the same attitude can go forward with climate action. Speak to people, get involved, get active in small ways that will grow.

Taking inspiration from the EP title, what is your favourite type of weather and why?

SUN. I’m writing this with the sun streaming through my window and about to head out into my small garden that we’re turning into a vegetable patch with old pallets turned into planters. Sunshine is just incredible, so happy it’s appearing once more.

Were there any surprises during the recording process, whether pleasant or unpleasant?

The amount of work for producing an album compared to an EP. Prior to this, I’ve produced 3 EPs all with 4 tracks, and making a full cohesive album sent me a little bit mad (I was living in a tiny room which was also my studio, locked away last winter)… I would highly recommend regular walks and breaks, advice I should have followed myself. Sanity has now returned I think?…

What has been your fondest memory of the recording process?

I loved finding all the collected sounds to mess around with on the album… there’s loads I recorded on my phone of wind chimes and bats and birds, then also deep sea bloop noises and tectonic plates rumbling I found online. My favourite is the instrumental Tectonic Plates featuring a New York guy with the best accent ever. He makes me happy.

And finally, a slight cliché but what does music mean to you?

Translating the ineffable.