Lee Emi, the solo project of Emilee Petersmark of The Crane Wives, has released the single “Smoke in Empty Rooms” and its music video. The song appears on her debut album, DESTROY EVERYTHING, scheduled for release Oct. 2.
The song was written during the COVID-19 lockdown and addresses isolation, grief and the inability to attend a loved one’s funeral. Petersmark said, “This song came from the depths of the COVID-19 lockdown, unable to go to a loved one’s funeral, desperately trying to find human connection through FaceTime calls, listening to my dad cry on the phone and wishing I could be with him, knowing that I couldn’t. ‘Smoke in Empty Rooms’ is about that feeling of isolation, and the fear of losing someone you’ll never get to say goodbye to.”
DESTROY EVERYTHING was written during the pandemic and after Petersmark’s diagnosis with a rare kidney disease. The album also reflects her experience as a Korean adoptee raised in Michigan and her exploration of identity and belonging. Petersmark said her original name was Lee Sang-Eun, but she was afraid to use it. “For this project, we’re going to burn down what doesn’t serve us anymore and mix the Western and Eastern culture,” she said.
Petersmark has been the primary songwriter and co-lead singer and guitarist for The Crane Wives since 2010. The band has released five studio albums and performed across the United States and Europe.
“I’m in remission from my kidney disease, and have done a lot of work in the past four years in terms of mental, emotional, and physical maintenance,” Petersmark said. “I finally feel like I have the experience and the confidence to just do the job well.”
“Smoke in Empty Rooms”: Watch / Listen
DESTROY EVERYTHING: Album information
DESTROY EVERYTHING tracklist:
1. Black Hole
2. Spinning Plates
3. Empty Spaces
4. I Warned You
5. Destroy Everything
6. Smoke in Empty Rooms
7. Margaret
8. Before The Lights Went Out
9. Fuck Me Up
10. Clean Slate
11. Don’t Wake Me Up
Live dates:
Oct. 3: Grand Rapids, Michigan, at Pyramid Scheme (album release show)
Nov. 6: Columbus, Ohio, at Skully’s
Nov. 7: Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, at Thunderbird Cafe
Nov. 8: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, at First Unitarian Church
Nov. 10: Towson, Maryland, at The Recher
Nov. 11: Hamden, Connecticut, at Space Ballroom
Nov. 13: Albany, New York, at The Lark
Nov. 14: Boston, Massachusetts, at Crystal Ballroom
Nov. 15: New York, New York, at Racket
Nov. 17: Buffalo, New York, at Iron Works
Nov. 19: Cleveland, Ohio, at Beachland Ballroom
Nov. 20: Ferndale, Michigan, at Magic Bag
Nov. 21: Kalamazoo, Michigan, at Bell’s Backroom
Nov. 22: Chicago, Illinois, at Lincoln Hall
