by Jade Winings (@jadewinings)
Emma Danner is Red Ribbon. The project’s self-titled album was released November 2024 as a perfect winter release and still stands to be a fulfilling listening experience through and through. Vocals drenched in vintage radio sounds set a charming tone while Danner unapologetically shines light upon her shadow self. Red Ribbon is an extremely personal album that lacks reluctance with expressing the undertones of the complex feelings within dark romance, sex, and self liberation.
Ambient keys, seductive vocals, and jazzy notes surround and compliment Emma’s sharp words expressing the permanence of her actions provoked by heartbreak and a slow escape from delirium. Tracks “Like You” and “Reckless Depressed Like This” exemplify love bombing, a misunderstood concept of love that makes it easy to fall into the trap of becoming another’s possession. Once you think you’re heart broken, the curtain falls and leaves you to wonder how you ended up as someone’s puppet.
“Angeline” can represent the phase of realizing you are starting to despise your lover but you continue to ignore it. This anger begins to justify retaliation on “My Body Is A Blade,” a song symbolizing burning bridges by using your body as a weapon because it’s all you have left after the light has been drained out of it. Emma’s honesty within this track is especially admirable considering how people have looked down upon such retaliation. The expression “My Body Is a Blade” is notably liberating as women are expected to be delicate with others’ emotions even when they’re victims of control.
“Crying In My Car” is a perfect resolution for Red Ribbon as it seems to be a reflection of the entire record. We experience the stages of an emotional spiral through grief and anger resulting from fear and seclusion. In a heartbreaking situation you can fall into sadness or sink into anger but all things come to an end. However, you can choose how to move forward. Along with the album’s moody and romantic aura, Danner’s “I said what I said and I meant it” attitude leaves a lasting impression on Red Ribbon’s latest record, which should have fans longing for the next.