It has been raining since the New York brother duo Nat & Alex Wolff became known playing the fictional band The Naked Brothers Band in the Nickelodeon series of the same name. Albums were released by that group in real life, but let’s say that Nat and Alex have long left their adolescence behind: they are now in their thirties or almost and the maturity of their current musical production reflects it.
Affiliated with a classic formula of melody and guitar, Nat & Alex Wolff have made a name for themselves with singles like ‘Glue’ or ‘Rollin’ Around’, although, through their current alias, they have only published two albums and an EP in 15 years. His third full-length, self-titled, comes out on January 16.
From that album are the folk ‘Soft Kissing Hour’ and the more rocky ‘Tough’, but today we highlight ‘Emilia’ as Song of the Day.
‘Emilia’ is, perhaps, the complete opposite of the typical powerful release that we should highlight on a news Friday. On the contrary, it is floating and minimalist, almost ambient. But Nat and Alex present a beautiful melody, one that should be able to captivate the general public even though the production does not scream for attention.
Because just a hazy keyboard forms the basis of the song. About it, Nat and Alex compose a piece that doesn’t have the title of “timeless” at all, perhaps because it has something that refers to Simon & Garfunkel – especially the harmonies – or Steely Dan. At the end, the ambient arrangement of ‘Emilia’ introduces a beautiful acoustic guitar chord, as if it were the little bow that closes the gift.
The metaphor “I’m just skin and bones” is key, given the minimalism of the song. ‘Emilia’ is a naked production, and its emotion is transparent: in the lyrics, Nat and Alex address a woman named as you imagine, to whom they dedicate a shy, secretive and almost whispered declaration of love.
