Elmiene releases new album ‘Heat The Streets’
Sounds of how love can make you smile, colour your life, and leave you cold.
Photo: Press
Elmiene, a British-Sudanese singer with a striking soulful voice, has the ability to captivate you instantly. His music draws you in, effortlessly making you feel the emotion behind every note.
Heat The Streets opens with a beautiful song, Useless (Without You). His voice dives right into it: “I took a shower with my clothes on, how stupid / I went to sleep with all the lights on, how stupid.”
Elmiene is surely packing a punch with this song, beating himself up with words that feel like he is being too hard on himself about not handling a breakup. He talks about not seeing himself finding another love that can compare to the one he had with this person.
The metaphoric language really makes you envision the scenes of his world crumbling before his eyes, unable to focus on anything besides the love he wants back in life:
“I played the keys with my guitar, how useless.”
“Best believe I’m trying, cause what it comes down to, it’s different without you.”
Useless (Without You) flows into a brief spoken interlude in the track *Sunny, where a young boy reflects on the song, saying it’s lovely but telling Elmiene not to call himself stupid. Such a simple moment carries a beautiful message: often, adults are too hard on themselves, and children remind us not to be.
Damage Control
“Whoever said that pretty girls would never need a chaser didn’t know what it’s like to be loved by you.”
It feels like Elmiene was chasing a love that didn’t want him — like chasing a shot that burns, yet the pain can not be erased.
“You either love or hate me, its a thin line between you baby”: This line highlights the intensity and unpredictability of the relationship, almost like a toxic love where you never know if it’s going to be a good or bad day.
“Damage control, I think we both know /
Tonight might be the last time, damn, we had it all.”
It’s finally time to stop being in denial and let go of this love once and for all; there’s nothing more they can do to save it. That, in itself, is a strength — a power to stop something you know is failing. It’s no longer in your control; the damage is done, and it’s finally time to let it go.
Different Too
A unicorn, she ain’t like your average girl.
“Her definition of a fun day / Is writing poetry in bed.”
I can relate to the feeling of being captivated by someone with a beautiful mind; a love of words is incredibly enticing. The way he describes the woman he talks about in the song shows that her beauty isn’t tied to appearances — it’s in the way she thinks, the way she challenges him, and the way she engages his mind.
“You won’t find her on the runway /
Not because she ain’t beautiful /
In a world that wants it all, well, she’s got her own.”
I don’t think he’s saying that because she has wealth or material things. She’s got her own because she’s content with her world and the life she has created.
Elmiene further paints the picture of the beauty of the woman he sees in front of him when he sings this line. The beauty of the woman he is talking about is entirely in her mind and character:
“It ain’t regular to find a special woman that can pick my mind /
By the choices of your words, I really know that you won’t waste my time.”
The song perfectly reflects the beauty of unexpectedly connecting with someone, meeting them on an ordinary day, like a Monday, and suddenly finding yourself drawn in, wanting to know them more.
Dull Jewellery
The song opens with the sound of the guitar strumming softly. Instantly, Elmiene allows you to picture the scene: “That’s your face I see in the mirror / So I smile just so I can remember.” You can immediately feel his heartache and pain as he reflects on what this person could have done to make the relationship better.
“Though you owe me some more of your time / Think I like how you lead me to fire.” It almost sounds like a love that wasn’t right—dangerous, like a fire that needed to be put out—but Elmiene couldn’t see it at the time. Now the fire has gone, but all that remains is the dull, dull, dull, dull jewellery.
“Did you have to leave for me to understand?... All that’s left is dull, dull, dull, dull jewellery.”
The jewellery feels almost like a taunt, a stain that refuses to go. It’s there, and you don’t know why, but nobody is coming back to take it, no matter how much you look at it, watching it dwindle and grow more dull over time through the mirror where you keep seeing the reflection of that love.
Give Me A Smile is wrapped up with vulnerability as Elmiene opens up about his life, feeling cold and tired without the touch of love.
“My life feels sombre, cold, and tired without your touch /
Could even fold it up, it still ain’t strong enough /
(It’s givin’ me) Nightmares of countless stares and judgement from above /
I try, but I just might, might need your hand to hold me.”
The second verse goes on to say:
“If darkness meets your iris, take me where you go /
This world may end in violence, especially when you’re home /
Somebody gon’ find me a time /
A day’s worth a thousand nights /
I’m tryna fight the fight with fire, fire, fire /
Keepin’ my hands tied, never tire, oh.”
To me, this suggests that even though this love may not be right, he doesn’t want to let go of it and will go anywhere this love takes him, just so he can hold onto it. The alternative is continuous nightmares and losing that person in the darkness through his iris.
The mixtape closes with a stunning cover of the classic You’ve Got A Friend. It takes me back to hearing Donny Hathaway sing that song, the only version that has ever truly touched my heart, and it is beautiful to feel that same depth of soul in Elmiene’s voice.
The organ adds an almost church-like atmosphere, carrying the listener into a space that feels both vulnerable and healing, like moments of praise and worship. It draws you in and makes you feel held.
There’s one part in the song that really stands out to me: when Elmiene sings, “People can be so cold? / They’ll hurt you and desert you / And take your soul if you let them / Oh, but don’t you let them.” In that moment, it feels like the song stands still — it is so clever, really forcing you to pause and take in the weight of the words he is saying.
His voice then echoes in the last few lines of the song with “running, running, running,” which is so beautiful and powerful. It is almost as if he is reinforcing that he will be there, embodying the very heart and beauty of You’ve Got A Friend.
Heat The Streets is out now via Polydor Records.