After a decade between albums, Melbourne singer-songwriter EMILY ULMAN returns with SEVERE CLEAR, out October 10, a record that captures both the quiet intensity and emotional precision that have long defined her artistry. Speaking with Australian Musician’s Greg Phillips, Ulman revealed the new album has been around two and a half years in the making, the product of slow, careful collaboration and deep personal reflection.
MORE ABOUT EMILY ULMAN’S SEVERE CLEAR ALBUM
While Severe Clear feels intimate and at times sparse, Ulman describes it as more varied than it first appears. “Some songs are stripped right back to just vocals and guitar,” she explains, “but others feature drums, bass, piano, even synths.” That delicate balance was guided by producer Bonnie Knight, whose “subtle, nuanced, and intricate” touch allowed Ulman’s lyrical narratives to sit front and centre. The record also features Gab Strum (Japanese Wallpaper), who contributed multiple instruments and creative ideas in what Ulman describes as a “collaborative, almost pampering experience, like watching my songs come to life at a day spa.”
The title Severe Clear came from an aviation term Ulman discovered while reading an article. The phrase describes skies so clear they can be disorienting, a metaphor she found striking. “Those perfect conditions often follow a storm,” she says. “That really resonated, the idea that beauty or clarity can emerge after chaos.”
Themes of duality and introspection run through the album. Fans in the Stands, inspired initially by the atmosphere of AFL crowds, evolved into something far more personal, a meditation on belonging, anonymity, and vulnerability. “It became about visiting a close friend in hospital,” she says, “about that same kind of procession and shared emotion, and how performing on stage can feel like the opposite, exposed rather than anonymous.”
Ulman’s songwriting often begins with a phrase or lyric fragment, “a kernel of an idea” that she follows intuitively. “It’s almost like it happens to me,” she says. “I’m just obediently following where it leads.” The new album reflects that instinctive process, with track order and sonic texture chosen carefully to support the lyrical flow. A lifelong affection for nylon-string guitars, inherited from childhood and the folk artists her parents loved, Leonard Cohen, Joan Baez, Peter, Paul and Mary adds warmth and nostalgia to the sound.
Beyond her own music, Ulman is well known for her work as a booker, curator, and festival organiser, notably as the driving force behind the Isol-Aid Festival during the pandemic. While she’s humble about its legacy, she admits the experience reignited her own creativity. “I wrote most of the album during that time,” she says. “It reminded me why I wanted to make music in the first place.”
As for the state of the industry post-pandemic, Ulman acknowledges both recovery and lingering change. “There’s more confidence again in live music,” she notes, “but we still need to rebuild that next generation of fans and artists. It’s all part of a connected ecosystem.”
With Severe Clear now ready for release, Ulman will celebrate with an in-store performance at Melbourne’s Rock Steady Records on October 10, followed by shows around the country into the new year. Reflecting on her journey, she laughs: “I don’t really have a grand plan. I just want to keep creating and supporting other artists. I feel incredibly lucky and I can’t believe the album’s finally here.”