EWAH - Souvenir

Souvenir means “memory” in French or in English is a memento to remind you of a person or place. Souvenir tells personal stories from the past and present. 

Souvenir is EWAH’s first solo album in fourteen years. It sees a thematic return to the intimate; part coming of age story, part cautionary tale, part mythmaking. She loses her way, finds true love and holds close to her young daughter. After years of battling anxiety and bouts of depression, and ultimately procrastination, superstition and pedantry, she says “this is the album I kept trying to make for years”. She goes on. “For a long time I offered up things that were incomplete, highly abrasive or sounded broken, which perhaps was a true representation of my tendency to intense self-doubt and self-destruction. In time as I slowly put the pieces of my life back together the music too began to reflect that positive change.”

Souvenir is a project of completion and healing. The lead single Touch the Light encapsulates this journey. The music video is directed by Bree Sanders in collaboration with EWAH. The narrative sees EWAH exploring a labyrinthine world, visiting ghosts from the past dressed in the black and white dresses she wore onstage when starting out as a solo singer-songwriter in Naarm/Melbourne. The song is a cautionary coming of age story. Sanders and EWAH have worked together on mini-doco Grove of Giants, Sanders Director and EWAH screen composer (Sydney Film Fest, Adelaide Film Fest, GRIT). 

The album was recorded deep in the south of Lutruwita/Tasmania in the Huon overlooking water and hills. “Sometimes weather systems would form that seemed to respond to or be conjured up by the music, like a small storm that rose up while recording a drum crescendo on Mountain Song. Sunlight and reflections from the water would dance about on the ceiling and walls while we listened back to takes,” says EWAH. She continues, “I get a bit superstitious about things and I saw a lot of rainbows during the making of the album. They appeared at times where I needed guidance with decisions along the way.”

The album was co-produced by EWAH alongside engineer and mixer Jethro Pickett, a talented musician in his own right (notably The AMP longlisted album France, 2018). The songs embrace traditional songwriting, inspired by 60s and 70s pop, blurring the edges with foggy psychedelia and modernised with a hybrid of live drums and electro beats.

As well as sitting behind the desk Pickett plays organ, piano and lapsteel on the album. Other guest musicians are Sorin Vanzino (Tinderboxers, Chris Coleman and The Great Escape) on drums and percussion and Stuart Hollingsworth (EWAH & The Vision of Paradise, SPACE.TIME, Chris Coleman) on bass.

Some of EWAH’s original demo parts have also found their way onto the album intertwined with the newly recorded parts. All songs are written and composed by EWAH (Emma Waters) who performs vocals, guitar, synth, piano, strings, horns, percussion and bass on Halfway.

EWAH is releasing her back catalogue in the lead up to the release of Souvenir, demonstrating the journey from ruination to some kind of redemption. Comeback is an old song revisited, recorded in the Souvenir sessions. Originally called Somewhere At All and released on EP Almost Sold My Axe (2006), it didn’t fit with the Souvenir story and stands alone as an orphan release (out Tuesday 12 November, 2024). It reflects on making it out the other side of an unhealthy relationship.

Stay posted to EWAH socials for upcoming shows. An Australian tour is in the works.