Emma Harner’s Debut EP Taking My Side Is a Force to Be Reckoned With
Rising singer-songwriter and guitarist Emma Harner who has supported several mainstream artists including Orla Gartland, mxmtoon, Tiny Habits, and The Bygones on tour released her debut EP titled Taking My Side on July 11, 2025.
“False Alarm” describes the homesickness Harner felt when moving from Lincoln, Nebraska to Boston for college, but it is much more than that. At its core, “False Alarm” is a desperate call to be seen when a big change makes life too overwhelming to handle alone. With a poignant fingerpicked guitar melody and soft, wispy vocals that feel like clouds floating just a little too high in the sky, Harner proves herself a force to be reckoned with right out of the gate.
The next track “Do It” was originally released in November 2024 after Harner posted a TikTok back in February with the caption: “Made this up last night about a lady I saw on the phone with her boss. She seemed distressed #mathrock.” With 130.4k likes and over 900k views, it is safe to say “Do It” was a hit long before the fully produced track hit streaming, and rightfully so. Harner’s ability to harmonize with the sinister-feeling acoustic line creates a tension palpable by listeners that perfectly embodies miscommunication.
“Yes Man” has a driving rock beat that starkly contrasts the musicality of the EP thus far as Harner describes a people pleaser desperately attempting to unlearn their ways and put themselves first instead:
Go ahead, make the joke
You know I hate to watch you try
Make a face like it’s nothing
Get caught in a lie
I’d call your bluff
You’d let me drive
If I was better at taking my side
I got you there
You gave me hell
It’s just as well
It’s just as well
In a similar vein to “False Alarm,” “Lifetimes” goes through the motions of existential doubt. The lyrics “You can’t escape it / My brain / It’s all corrupting / A conscious game” feels reminiscent of those never-ending late Sunday nights when the clock is past midnight and it feels as though the whole universe is against you on purpose, making this arguably the most outwardly vulnerable, yet relatable, track on the EP.
Harner closes out Taking My Side with “Again.” At a short and sweet minute-and-a-half, she manages to dig into the quietness of living with a broken heart and no matter how many times it breaks, it never gets easier to let go.
Harner’s unique, personable sound combined with her sense of storytelling creates such a beautiful arc anyone who listens to Taking My Side is sure to find solace in. Out of the debut releases I have been fortunate to listen to in 2025 thus far, Taking My Side stands out as an obvious favorite.
Taking My Side is available to listen on several major streaming services including Spotify, Apple Music, and Pandora. Emma has upcoming shows across the US and UK/EU in Los Angeles (Nov 8), New York City (Nov 10), London (Nov 22), and Berlin (Nov 23). Emma is on Instagram and TikTok @emmaharner.