Emily King has been an R&B/soul force to be reckoned with for almost a decade now. From her 2007 debut East Side Story all the way to her latest offering, last year’s The Switch, I can count the tracks I’ve skipped on those albums on one hand. She’s set to drop a deluxe edition of The Switch and the new bonus tracks she’s added are no exception. One of those tracks is “BYIMM,” which stands for “by you I mean me.” It’s a strong, soulful, uplifting anthem about self love and care. She rattles off all the ways she’s dug deep for inner strength to fight through tough times on her solo dolo, but she does so by cleverly leading the listener to believe she’s speaking to and thanking someone else. Along with that ironic twist comes a gritty shift in aesthetic as dreamy, bright, quick guitar strums give way to deep, funky, rumbling bass. King’s playful trick to express inward resolve in step with the contrasting soundscapes makes for an enlivening experience. Here’s what King had to say about the song:

It seemed like the person I was with had decided to stop noticing the good things about our relationship. I felt like I had to constantly remind them of what I was bringing to the table. I decided to rent a cabin upstate for us to get away from the city and be in nature. Somehow we got in an argument on the first day. So while we were giving each other the silent treatment, I set up a microphone and laptop and recorded the idea straight away. The song came out so naturally, it was very therapeutic singing those lines.

Listen.

Tour dates:

7/7 – Atlanta, GA – The Loft
7/8 – Charlotte, NC – Visulite
07/09 Washington DC @ 9:30 Club
07/11 Philadelphia, PA @ Union Transfer
07/14 New York, NY @ Bowery Ballroom
07/15 Brooklyn, NY @ Music Hall of Williamsburg
07/16 Boston, MA @ Brighton Music
07/18 Detroit, MI @ The Shelter
07/19 Chicago, IL @ Civic Opera House w/ Alabama Shakes
07/20 Chicago, IL @ Aragon Ballroom w/ Alabama Shakes
07/21 Minneapolis, MN @ Cedar Cultural Center
07/23 Chicago, IL @ Thalia Hall
07/25 Austin, TX @ The Parish
07/26 Houston, TX @ Studio @ Warehouse Live
07/27 Dallas, TX @ Trees
07/29 Phoenix, AZ @ The Crescent
08/01 San Diego, CA @ House of Blues
08/02 Los Angeles, CA @ El Rey
08/03 San Francisco, CA @ The Chapel
08/05 Portland, OR @ Doug Fir
08/06 Seattle, WA @ Tractor

The deluxe edition of The Switch is out 7/8. Pre-order it here.