The Political and the Transcendent: On EMA’s “Exile in the Outer Ring”

When it comes to punk rock, anniversaries are a weird thing. In 2007, the noise-punk band Gowns released their one and only full-length album, titled Red State. At that time, the concept of red states and blue states as a means for understanding American politics was at its apex. Much of what gave Red State its power then–and still does–came from singer/guitarist Erika…