Emma Goldman

Photo Credit 📷 : @girlswithfilm

Emma Goldman is fresh off the road from an eastern Canada tour. We’re amped to showcase a brand new music video for y’all to vibe with.  This Canadian Skrammy Award nominated band is a major contender this year in the category of “Best Screamo Album” for many valid reasons. Their latest album juxtaposes their heavy themes (and even heavier instrumentals) with a great mix of feral, larynx-shredding-screams counterbalanced by beautifully well sung vocal work. Couple all that with the classic emo trope of utilizing snarky song titles to add some fun into their work and lighten the load a little.

With song titles like “we’re corporatizing polyamory” or “it rubs the boycott ketchup on its brand new slacks,” and my personal favorite, “at rock bottom I was a piss girl,” you get two messages with this album: capitalism is killing us and Emma Goldman haven’t let the evils of this world break their spirit (yet). Despite the serious nature of this album, this is clearly a band who loves what they do and that’s a shining light of hope in a world that they’re trying to change into a better place for ourselves and our futures.

Emma Goldman’s band name derived from the Russian-born anarchist revolutionary, political activist, and writer of the same name. It should come as no surprise that their latest album “all you are is we” wrestles with themes of the crushing weight of capitalism, the evils of marketing and advertising, the rise of fascism in our current hellscape, and facing your broken dreams.

Today’s music video premiere for “I seem to be an adjective” is one of the more pit-focused and mosh heavy tracks of their release. The track stays rooted in the dark themes and harsh realities present on the album by speaking out against the rotten stigmas and stereotypes cast upon drug users all while the music video showcases the band playfully dancing on the grave of a fallen company, showing us that above all: you gotta take the wins where you can get ‘em.

“WE REALLY WANTED TO CAPTURE THE FEELING OF SEEING YOUR DREAMS SLIP AWAY TO AN INCREASINGLY FACISTIC SOCIETY, RATHER THAN BEING DIDACTIC IN OUR LYRIC WRITING.

BECAUSE OF THAT WE’VE TRIED TO INTERJECT MOMENTS OF JOY AND CELEBRATION TO THE MUSIC, WHETHER IT BE WITH OUR INTERLUDES OR THE DANCING IN THE MUSIC VIDEO.”

- EMMA GOLDMAN, @EMMAGOLDMANBAND

Taking time to delve into the efforts behind the music video and the philosophies and experience behind their music, the band says, “In many ways this album is very pessimistic and not just because we're wrestling with topics like the toxic drug crisis or labour tensions, but also because we're trying to tap into those topics from a very personal and emotional perspective.” While that introspection gives us a sampling of Emma Goldman, vocalist Victoria and the rest of the band members all found some time when they were on the road during this last tour to write back to us and catch up with Not Just A Phase via a short written interview.

SHOOTING THIS VIDEO IN A CLOSED MALL TO ME VISUALIZED A TIE IN TO THE ALBUM ART AND SOME OF THE ALBUMS THEMES WHICH SHOWCASE THE EVILS OF CAPITALISM. ASIDE FROM THAT, WHERE DID THE INSPIRATION FOR THIS MUSIC VIDEO PREMISE COME FROM?

Honestly part of the inspiration simply came from the Hudson Bay Company, the oldest company in Canada, and a main perpetrator of the colonization of Canada, was shutting down all it's department stores across the country. Katayoon, the director of the music video, had the idea to get some footage in the department store during its last week. We all thought the vibes of a mostly empty, messy department store fit well with the themes of the album so we went for it.

HATERS WILL SAY THIS MUSIC VIDEO WAS SHOT ON A GREEN SCREEN, ANY TRUTH TO THAT?

Our original concept was inspired by an old Gabber music video called “Cherry Moon on Valium,” which had people dance in front of a green screen. The two ideas came together organically and we all really liked the idea of dancing on the detritus of late stage capitalist excess. 

HOW DO YOU SUGGEST WE CREATE SOME POSITIVE CHANGE IN A CAPATLIST SOCIETY THAT GROWS MORE EVIL BY THE MINUTE?

Talk to your coworkers, find out how you can organize your workplace, get involved with your local tenants union. There's no better way to figure out what you believe in and what your values are than by writing about it and sharing your art with others. If you're unionized, get involved and push the union toward a pro-Palestinian stance. Take the time to find joy in art and music. 

Emma Goldman is currently finishing up a tour of Eastern Canada right now. They’re playing several shows this fall, including a couple of shows with incredible touring screamo bands. “We're playing with your arms are my cocoon, Jisei, and Coup D'état on September 14th at Green Auto in Vancouver. On October 6, we're playing with Usurp Synapse, Miscomings, and Komos at Red Gate in Vancouver.”

“After our Eastern Canada tour we plan to start writing music for the next album and organizing our next tour. We've had such a great time in Ontario and Quebec, so we want to come back soon, but we also want to try to plan a tour somewhere outside Canada.”

My fellow canucks should catch Emma Goldman live at the next chance you get and all the international readers and Emma Goldman fans should grab a copy of their album on cassette or one of the few remaining vinyl copies left at Zegema Beach Records.

All we truly have is each other, all we can do is be the change we want to see. Emma Goldman forever, all we are is we.

Emma Goldman is Victoria on vocals, Félix on guitar & vocals, Hayley on bass, and Pavel on drums.

Follow them on Instagram here : Emma Goldman

Writer : @just_reidz

Editor : @garevthistle

09/03/25

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