Old is Gold by Emily Zeck

Emily Zeck has been recording music for eons. I found a corner of the internet where she was once known as That Pineapple Girl. Notice the That, not a The. Her first music you can still find on Spotify is 2015's Pacific Blue but my first experience, and it blew me away, was 2018's Avocado Toast. I immediately locked in to trace her 2025 release cycle. But I have not written about Emily before. You might soon see why. She almost (but not quite) defies description.

Emily Zeck is a refreshing, catchy and funny singer. She can put a smile on anyone's face in ten seconds and that is a needed gift in these times.

Her April 2025 single coincided with the launch of this platform, and I played the grooves right off of It Ain't Me. It chronicles her struggles to wash her own truck on her own driveway. Why can't she just use the car wash like everyone else? Because then she wouldn't be able to terrorise the neighbour's husband in all kinds of unmentionable ways. Is it her fault?

I really enjoyed Loud Mouth Women too, a song that became something of an anthem for strong-willed Tennessee women. But it was Blunt that really opened my eyes. This is not novelty music, so don't make that mistake. Every track below will make you smile, guaranteed. This is proper feel-good music. The lyrics are deeper than they first appear, and are also more nuanced than they seem. One verse will do the job:-

I’m blunt cuz that’s how god rolled me
And I’m a cunt…ry music queen
I like a little trailer in my trash
A little bitta Johnny in my cash
I’m hell on heels, in tight fittin jeans

Hell on heels! This is top drawer stuff. And anyway, I'm supposed to be concentrating on today's soon-to-be-chart-topper Old is Gold, but I needed you to be on the same wavelength before we get going.

As an early member of her fan club, known as Close Emigos (geddit?) I have been listening to the new one for a couple of weeks. We're off on a Bluegrass ride today. But is it a new direction, a permanent fork, or just a one-off? Let's hear from Emily:-

"I believe the best things in life come with more stories than they do shine. After last year, I've realized that material things mean almost nothing to me unless they come attached with memories from times I don't ever want to forget. I love filling my home with things that were loved by the folks that came before me."

Come to think of it, Emily hasn't yet used fork as a double entendre. 2025 for Emily was the year she became a mom for the first time, and helped her father through a serious illness. There is still fun though. Her crystal clear singing voice cannot be described in words alone, you just need to listen to anything for ten seconds. That voice will always lift you. But the lyrics this time around are nostalgic, wistful, sadder.

She is waaaay more than one year older now. Don't worry, the fun Emily is still in there, as you will find later this year with a play on words involving the word hoe. But she will be changed, even if she hasn't quite realised it. The tears will come more easily. The exhaustion will never quite leave, because the worry. Does this sound downbeat? Then listen again to Blunt.

I could write all day about these songs, and I do plan some deeper dives later this year as the Mom Era unfolds. But for now, enjoy the rose-tints of Old is Gold. It might be a one-off.

Emily Zeck is as active on socials as you would expect and has an enormous following. The best place to start is here. She is on Instagram and all the usual places including TikTok. But the best way to get the inside track is over on Patreon.