HELLO MARY ‘EMITA OX’: A BEAUTIFUL, RAGE FUELLED ODYSSEY

ALBUM REVIEW | HELLO MARY – EMITA OX by Heather Collier 4/5

Hello Mary’s second album Emita Ox is something of a fever dream. Manic and all-consuming, the Brooklyn-born trio – Stella Wave, Helena Straight and Mikaela Oppenheimer have crafted a record that defies the sophomore slump, pushing their already unrelenting sound into new, eerier terrain.

For those unfamiliar with the NYC three-piece, Emita Ox serves as a disorienting yet completely addictive introduction. Formed in 2019, the band quickly honed their sound in the city’s shadowy underbelly, opening for indie darlings Sunflower Bean before releasing their debut album with Frenchkiss Records earlier last year. Now enjoying the fruits of their labour, the band are knee-deep in their first UK tour and are supporting Illinois rockers American Football.

The album’s title is inspired by a young girl named Emita and her pet ox, a strange, folklore-like vision experienced by guitarist and vocalist Straight. Although it has no real meaning, it somehow acts as the perfect musical centrepiece – one of resilience and strength. From the first few notes of opener ‘Float’, you’re met with a tense, slow burn, soon to be thrusted into a high stakes chase scene. The track’s ferocious build up has you racing through an alleyway with a storm nipping at your nape, setting the stage for the chaos that’s about to come. ‘0%’ offers a more muscular, bass-heavy groove, with Oppenheimer’s low-end rumble leading the charge.

‘Heavy Sleeper’ is a brief, haunting interlude that feels like a lullaby for the end of the world. Crackling vocals and soothing strings leave an indelible mark that are akin to Radiohead, Air and Elliott Smith at their most vulnerable. Distorted guitars and thrashing cymbals provide the backdrop for a series of razor-sharp stories, ones that wouldn’t feel out of place alongside contemporaries Wunderhorse and Keo – but make no mistake, Emita Ox is not a pastiche.

Then there’s ‘Hiyeahi’, a bizarre labyrinth of noise that sounds like the stuttering of a lost voicemail on a phone tossed into a scrapyard, never to be heard by anyone again. But you’re not left stranded. It’s the penultimate track, ‘Bubble’, that offers the first glimpse of light in an otherwise darkened landscape. Catchy and buoyant, it feels like the sun breaking through the clouds just long enough to remind you that beauty still exists. The closing track ‘Everything We Do’ promises a sense of resolution, albeit a fragile one, exorcising whatever demons may be tormenting you.

Though still in their early years, Hello Mary already have the raw, unfiltered energy of a band that has lived through something unimaginable. Their music is electrifying, drenched in emotion, and haunted by a bygone era of 90s and early 2000s New York. Each sun-speckled harmony occasionally peeks through to guide us back to a time that existed long before the trio were born – a decade so vast and unspoken, now only remembered through the remnants of fuzzy camcorder footage.

Emita Ox is a beautiful, rage-fuelled odyssey in a world that feels simultaneously familiar and alien. It’s the sound of a band finding their footing, kicking up dirt as they go. For those who have been searching for a rock band that hit with the emotional weight of the past while pushing headfirst into an unknown future, Hello Mary have managed to tap into just that. It’s only a matter of time before you dive in.

Emita Ox is OUT NOW via Frenchkiss Records – buy and stream HERE

Hello Mary are currently on tour with American Football and you can see them live on the following remaining dates this weekend:
13 Sept – SWX, Bristol (w/ American Football)
14 Sept – Roundhouse, London (w/ American Football)