EMER KINSELLA, Concurrence

Fusing her deeply soulful, emotionally vibrant violin virtuosity and breathtaking compositional grandeur, musical visionary Emer Kinsella follows the release of her scores for the indie films I Hate New Years (2020), She the Creator (2022) and Saturn (2024) with her epic debut album Concurrence. Powerfully leading what she calls the Emersion ensemble, the Dublin born, Los Angeles based artist fashions an epic, dynamics filled, highly personal journey of the heart that showcases her multi-faceted brilliance not only as a world-class classical instrumentalist but also as a master sonic architect and compelling storyteller.

Though Emer’s regular workflow finds her composing to enhance the visions and narratives of independent film directors, Concurrence is that rare mostly instrumental work that sparks the listener’s imagination to envision an insightful filmmaker to create a compelling visually energized narrative around it. From the hauntingly seductive opening strains of the first lead single “Contingency,” Emer weaves an immersive journey of the heart, inviting us to experience key elements of her complicated autobiography via intricate textures, soaring melodies and intimate, quieter moment that are no less piercing and impactful.

One of the more unique aspects of the tracking is that among the eight pieces are instrumental and vocal/spoken word versions of “Contingency” and “Back on this Planet.” The tension- filled ebb and flow of short thrusting notes and passionate, elongated violin dancing reflects what Emer calls the push and pull of personal identity and the search for a calming sense of inner unity. Her poetic, highly dramatic on the vocal version of Contingency reveal the truth that “I am directionless as a river flows. . .I am lost at sea,” which lead then to a sung pre-chorus prayer (“Guide me, show me, let me, hold me” a bold infectious chorus that asks the presumed higher power to “Tear me open from the inside/I’ve got nothing to hide.”

It’s a rare artist who introduces her identity to the world so vulnerably, but Emer’s enrapturing music allows us to enjoy the ride even as we commiserate with her struggles to find our true selves. The later version of “Contingency” allows us to focus on the pure emotion of her music – but if you’ve already heard the vocal track, you’ll feel the weight she’s carrying.

Emer does the reverse with “Back on This Planet,” sharing the instrumental version first and the vocal take as the closing chapter of the album. The first taps into her film score magic to create an affecting story arc that eases from tender, sensual and gracefully swirling to increasingly tense, dense and percussive. Her brilliant spoken word verses and sweeping vocal choruses on the vocal find her trying to make sense of living a life fully grounded on an earth full of strife, division and constant inner and outer battles. In her search for acceptance and belonging, she emotes, “Back on this planet/Can I breathe. . .Can I succeed. . .Can I be strong. . .Can I belong. . .Is life a game?. . .Can I sustain?” The chorus finds her wondering if she can see even after she opens her eyes, then affirming that “I’m orbiting my destiny.” As if the quest for belonging is a never-ending endeavor.

The titles of the four other pieces on Concurrence reflect other aspects of this ongoing, often elusive search for a place, people and realm to call home. “Catalyst” begins with some of Emer’s most lush and sensitive violin expressions before a rush of orchestra and more celestial energies burst through.

From its stark opening piano chords through the dreamscape of lush strings and a buildup of edgy, rhythmic excitement, “Congruence” expresses the hope of finding a world where our hopes align with reality and she (and we by extension) can be accepted on her own terms. Likewise, full of dreamy, hypnotic passages and heart-racing moments, the other standalone compositions “Crest of Waves” and “International Waters” share full-on smaller journeys of their own, each reflecting the reality of being adrift for too long and longing with great anticipation for that home.

Emer’s truest genius here is that while she shares the most remarkable stories about her innermost realities, it’s all about the journey and there is no true final destination or neatly wrapped up happy ending. It’s more a foundation for future works where she continues to explore these realities and invites us, her grateful listeners, to ride along.