[Listening Party] GEMS – ‘Kill The One You Love’

There are certain artists that come around only once in a blue moon that make you breathe a sigh of relief – mainly because it’s like they’ve read your mind somehow and crafted songs out of your thoughts or they’re everything you didn’t know you were waiting on – possibly both.

Washington D.C. duo, GEMS, came to me on a rather melancholy night earlier this month while browsing through Spotify. Their new album track, “Soak,” reeled me in, ultimately bringing me to the point where, as previously stated, I have deemed them “the holy grail of music.” Feel free to blurb that on an album sticker, guys!

With the ability to put a chill in the air of even the warmest of climates, the band’s debut album, Kill The One You Love, is a stunning mix of dark, ambient and evocative electropop sure to make even The xx either fall madly in love or be extremely jealous. I’m ready for the weird looks I’m going to get as I ask for this one at the record store.

While it’s title may be up for interpretation, I certainly have found my own, grateful for a record that showcases the trials and tribulations of harboring an entire body full of wanting with the dim reality of so much lack. I suggest zoning out to this one in the dark.

Kill The One You Love is available now here.

Tina Roumeliotis

Tina is a freelance writer, author and the founding editor of The Daily Listening. You'll most likely find her introverting in her bedroom with her vinyl collection and a pair of headphones. Her poetry collection, Fools Like Me, is out now on Amazon.

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