The Listeners is the project of Emma Thorpe, working alone or with collaborators. She comes from the North Nottinghamshire borders and sings in a style that draws on folk, blues and artful acoustic song, with a spare finger-picked sound and distinctive chord choices.

Thorpe grows up in a musical family. Her mother teaches her to finger-pick and introduces her to the work of PJ Harvey, Sandy Denny, Suzanne Vega, Roy Harper and Bob Dylan. Her father, Kevin, is known on the blues scene for his recordings with Out Of The Blue, and her aunt manages the Welsh psychedelic band Man.

Musical style and themes

The Listeners’ songs often use cinematic imagery and an atmosphere that is described as strange, fragile and precise. Thorpe’s writing focuses on nature, religion, God, the devil, good and evil, and on the beauty and devastation of life. The material is rooted in tradition but presented in a contemporary way.

Individual songs mentioned include “Red Dust”, which deals with human insignificance under darkening skies, and “Dinner For One”, which traces the fading past of a broken relationship. “Walk The Wire” is also noted for a lyric about the body and vulnerability.

Influences and reception

Thorpe’s work is associated with artists and writers such as Nick Cave, Patti Smith and William Blake, and it is also compared in mood and texture to the work of David Lynch and Roberto Bolaño. She is described as taking time to accept her voice and lyrical approach before arriving at the stripped-back style associated with the project.

Live reaction to The Listeners includes praise from Richard Hawley, who describes the performance as brilliant, and press comparisons to PJ Harvey, Nico and Arcade Fire.