Hello people of the internet! I’m Ross, and I’m here to do something I don’t usually tend to do, and that’s give you a bit of a preview of what’s coming on Friday. Alright, truth be told, Rachel is currently BALLS DEEP into Say You Swear and REALLY wants to finish it before bed, and I’m sat around like some 6 month old turmeric that you once bought to give a curry a go.
In fairness, I know what it’s like when you’re deep into something and want to finish it.
So let’s talk about emo stuff!
Coming this Friday: The Emo Collection
Before I get into what’s coming, I will just say that this is what I love about running the business: the unpredictability of it all.
I never really know what we’re going to do next when it comes to Teddy Eva Scents - hence why it’s a nightmare planning anything. One minute I’m posting another packing video, unsure as always how it’s going to go down. And then the next thing I know you’re all commenting as you really want the emo melts to be available.
It’s always a bonus when other people feel the same way about a fun idea as you do. Sometimes I think it’s just me that finds something funny or interesting. But no, in this case a LOAD of you were suddenly like “Yo! I want emo wax melts too!”
So here we are.
I’ll be honest, this has been so much fun so far. It’s genuinely been a nostalgic trip jumping back into the emo music scene of the early 2000s. Not that this music has ever really gone away. I’ve had Spotify since… well I have a “Songs of the Year: 2011” playlist, so I’m guessing I’ve had it for a while. So my liked songs always throw up a huge array of different shit.
Also, side note for anyone who didn’t know, but I got my first start as a writer due to music. I started my own blog called “All Metal Music” back in… before 2011. Because after a while I started writing for another music blog called Rocksins - who are still going by the way. My profile is actually still on there.
God I hated interviewing bands. Some of it was done via email, but I actually went backstage to interview Me vs Hero and almost died on the inside. The other time, I went allllllll the way to Cardiff on my own - little socially awkward 20 year old Ross - to interview… I wanna say Anterior? And then I absolutely bailed. Just walked out instead of knocking to go backstage.
I hated getting my camera out. I hated social situations of ANY sorts. I just wanted to sit behind my laptop and type. Yes, I see the irony.
But it was a MASSIVE learning curve and led me to realise I had a huge passion for writing. A passion that would lead me to eventually start Isablog - without that, we wouldn’t have Teddy Eva Scents.
See, sometimes you never know where life is going to take you. One day Ross sat down and thought “I wanna start a music blog” and he made a really shit blog that he’d eventually delete.
But, without doing it, I wouldn’t be here writing this
I know we have a lot of people who watch/read/follow us with young kids, but honestly, get them to follow passions. Get them to try things. Fuck things up and fail. So many things led me down the path to Teddy Eva Scents - even working for Royal Mail helped a LOT - and for all I know, Teddy Eva Scents is simply another stepping stone before I do the next thing.
Shit. I was supposed to be talking about emo wax melts.
Sorry about that.
Onto the Emo Collection
So in total I think we’re doing around 12-14 wax melts in the emo range. Honestly, I could do these for days as it’s been brilliant coming up with the designs. I literally sat there today with Teddy playing Play-doh and suddenly drew the concept art for “I will follow you into the dark.”
Some of the melts are directly influenced by bands/songs, others are simply wax melts with emo inspired designs.
I get a mild chuckle out of seeing an emo doing something “fun” whilst looking all bleak. Happy Dough being my favourite for that.
But here’s a look at SOME of the designs so far…
I love music. I sometimes I miss being balls deep in the “scene” and what’s going on. With the business, the kids, and everything else going on, it’s hard to keep up to date with everything. Besides, I’ve probably hit that age now where I hold on to “my” music more and everything new is weird and scary.
Nah, I still love discovering new stuff. But I’m certainly less of a metalhead these days than 10+ years ago - at least in terms of the proper heavy stuff. I can’t remember the last time I played a Slayer album for example.
But to be fair, it’s a little bit difficult actually defining what makes an emo band. That pocket of music has a lot of crossover and easily splits into so many different sub genres. It’s easy to find a lot of punk, hardcore, post-hardcore, metal, and everything in between. There’s a lot of “cores” out there isn’t there.
For example, whilst not many people would consider Papa Roach an emo band, you have to admit that Scars is totally an emo song. Jacoby Shaddix has even had his emo looks at times. Death Cab for Cutie aren’t exactly an emo band, but again, “I Will Follow You into the Dark” just has soft emo vibes.
Even Bring Me the Horizon got lumped in with the emo crowd - although I’m guessing that was largely down to looks?
Rachel was WAY more into emo music than I was
I’ll be honest, when me and Rachel first got together we used to have “disagreements” over music as I was more down the metal side and she was more down the emo side. She was big into Funeral For a Friend, Kids in Glass Houses, the Blackout, and bands like that. Meanwhile I was more Iron Maiden, Metallica, Judas Priest and that sort of thing.
Look at Rachel back in the day…
I know, I know. I would too. Still do in fact.
But we somehow came together and got each other into the others music. My Chemical Romance, 30 Seconds to Mars, and other bands that often got hate in the metal community quickly became guilty pleasures of mine. And Rachel somehow managed to stomach going to an Obscura concert.
I don’t think I was seen out of a band shirt for the best part of… a good few years?
I don’t even know when it stopped wearing them. Rachel says I haven’t worn them in this house, so that’s pre-2016. But fuck knows.
Anyway, you might be sat there wondering why I’m talking all this bollocks about totally irrelevant stuff, right?
Well it’s all bloody nostalgia isn’t it. I know some of you aren’t going to care about an emo collection. Meanwhile others will be there with the same fond memories that me and Rachel have.
You could probably sit there and talk bollocks for days on this music too. I think for me and Rachel it’s doubly poignant as we also got together around the same time as we got into all of this music. So our memories are not only of the music, but of us too. Which is probably why we’ve both enjoyed making these melts as much as we have.
My only hope with all of this is that we can bring some nostalgia to you too. You can sit there and reminisce on your younger days with fondness.
The Emo Range will be live this Friday at 9pm
I’ll be honest, we might have a lot of variety, but we haven’t poured a lot of each scent. Like with most things with the business, I have ZERO idea how this is going to go down so we didn’t want to risk it and make loads. This might just be a super limited one time only, once it’s gone it’s gone, type thing.
Or in 4 months from now we have all sorts of music inspired melts. Nothing in life is guaranteed except for death, so I never know what’s going to happen.
So long and good night.
Much love,
Ross & Rachel x
Ps. She finished the book. Only about 100 pages from when I started writing.