photo by Carol Fondé; photo courtesy of Knyvet
Single Review of Emily Grogan: “Tell Your Friends”
Emily Grogan is a highly-regarded Boston-area pop-rocker whose upcoming 2027 album is greatly anticipated. In advance of it, we’re treated to this summer’s single, “Tell Your Friends,” and it’s a helluva strong teaser for what’s to come. A power-pop number with an edgy alt-rock vibe, it’s an engaging listen.
The press material actually refers to this song as “empower-pop,” playfully crafting an apt description for a song whose lyrics are an almost desperate attempt to look forward in troubled times. Grogan explains, “‘Tell Your Friends’ came from feeling overwhelmed by the amount of chaos, division, and fear happening around us. I found myself pulling more inward this year, and in those moments when I step back into the world, I see the external chaos from a different perspective. So much of what surrounds us seems built around fear; fear that divides people, fuels greed, and creates suffering.”
artwork by Lily Grogan; image courtesy of Knyvet
It’s a song about a heavy topic, and the song’s measured pace and structured arrangement help give it the requisite gravitas. However, there’s a pleasantness and understanding in Grogan’s vocal delivery that breeds hope and creates and atmosphere of camaraderie that allows the lyrics to hit differently, enjoyably. The song opens with just piano and vocals before slowly amping up, joined by light strumming about 45 seconds in before bursting forth with a full-on alt-rock boom about a minute and a half in. The noisy part doesn’t last long, though, and doesn’t return again ’til closer to the song’s end. Mostly, “Tell Your Friends” has an open, light instrumentation for most of its length, but its couple of plodding-yet-bangin’ alt-rock sections create the illusion that they’re more prominent than they are. I suppose, that means they are prominent, doesn’t it? But the densely-instrumented, raucous alt-rock part doesn’t comprise much of the song’s length.
In the end, “Tell Your Friends” is an enjoyable listen. The lyrics and the music are well-composed, as one might expect from a highly-regarded local artist like Grogan. You’ll enjoy listening to the song with its cool arrangement and performance, and also both because of and in spite of the lyrics, thoughtful but heavy. It’s a cool teaser for next year’s full album, one that would have been greatly anticipated even without a pre-release single but is now oh, so much moreso!
Miscellany
Unsurprisingly, Grogan had a strong band supporting her on this song. In additional to Grogan herself (vocals, backup vocals, piano, synths, acoustic guitar), the Emily Grogan Band features Larry Dersch (drums), Michele Cavallari (keyboards, synths), Chad Raleigh (electric guitar), and Eric Donahue (bass, Moog).
Grogan received a New England Music Awards nomination in the “Song of the Year” category for her April 2026 release “Day Off.” NEMA winners will be announced at a ceremony on November 15th.
