Emily Wolfe lets her light shine in her latest single “Something Better.” The song takes the listener on a ride by starting soft and sweet, then showcasing huge vocals, catchy guitar licks and powerful drums along the way. Simply put, after listening to “Something Better,” one can’t help but feel “better.” Even though the lyrical content is rooted in loneliness, the overall vibe is undoubtedly positive and it’s clear that Wolfe has been able to turn a painful experience into an uplifting pop-rock anthem.

Wolfe wastes no time jumping into the lead single from her upcoming album “Outlier.” Right away, she pulls you in with her distinct, high-registered vocals that straddle the line between classic rock and modern pop. It’s something that’ll appeal to many generations of music listeners, almost as if Stevie Nicks and Demi Lovato put their voices in a blender. The intro is gradually complemented with a straightforward drum beat and Wolfe’s scorching guitar riffs. There have been many artists who blend elements of pop and rock, but Wolfe does so in a way that should satisfy purists from both genres. She possesses the look, attitude, and guitar chops of a true Rock n’ Roller. Yet her crisp, dynamic vocal style, polished production, and uncanny ability to create an earworm chorus could easily land her on some of the biggest pop stations around the world. 

Wolfe repeats that she’s “alone” and “tired” and looking for “something better.” She laments about the monotony of it all, and her yearning for a more exciting life is highly relatable -- it’s easy to fall into a rut and mindlessly go about your everyday routine without ever stopping to ask, “Why?” Though this can be a sad reality, Wolfe ultimately is sending an optimistic message -- that it’s never too late to fully go after what you want, and though we may find ourselves stuck at times, there’s always hope that we’ll find “something better.”

It’s easy to see why Emily Wolfe has accomplished so much in her young career thus far. She has her own sound, the edge and the “it” factor that appeals to a wide spectrum of listeners. “Something Better” highlights her ability to craft music that is catchy and pop-oriented, while also rocking out in the process.

- Quinn Donoghue

Thanks to all the artists who submitted their music to be considered for The Deli's Best of Austin Year End Poll for Emerging Artists.

After tallying our editors' ratings for the Open Submissions stage, it’s time to release the results - which this year are interestingly heavy on the... folky ladies! Please note that to avoid conflicts no local editor was allowed to vote for bands in their own scene.

Total submissions from Austin: 32

Jurors: Jurors: QD Tran (The Deli Philly), Jordannah Elizabeth (The Deli SF), Paolo De Gregorio (The Deli NYC).

Acts advancing to our Readers/Fans Poll:

1. Grace London - 7.6 (out of 10)

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2. Taylor & the Wild Now - 7.16

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3. Leah Nobel - 7.16

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4. Molybden - 7

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5. Emily Wolfe - 7

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Honorable Mentions (scores above 6.5)

Holiday Mountain, Gossamer Frontier, Delaney Gibson, Wildcat Apollo, Jackie Venson, The Manifest Electric, Texas Microphone Massacre, KP and the Boom Boom, Dead Tree Duo, Calliope Musicals.

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WHAT’S NEXT: These results end the first phase of the poll. We have already unveiled full list of nominees that also includes the artists nominated by our local jurors (see left column here). It's now time for our readers to influence this Year End Poll for Emerging Austin Artists with their vote - look out for th readers' poll on the right column of this same page!

The Deli Austin

Deli Nation,

Our Year End Poll for Emerging Austin Artists was - as usual - a painstaking (and somewhat excruciating) process, but we pulled it of with remarkable flair! Kudos to Holiday Mountain for winning it!

First, we let the local bands submit their music (for free), and got our Deli editors to pick the nominees. Then we polled a list of 15+ Austin scene expert (our jury, list at the bottom) and asked them to nominate 3 more bands of their choice each. Then we polled our writers, then we polled our readers. We tried to keep things open for each single genre, from Indie Rock to Roots Music to Hip Hop.

If you are a geek interested in all the subtelties related to how this poll works, you can read its rules here (happy reading!). But if all you care about is the awesome new music Austin produced in the year 2013, this list is all you need. Enjoy!

BEST OF 2013 POLL FOR EMERGING AUSTIN ARTISTS - FINAL RESULTS -

ARTIST J W R OS TOT   1 Holiday Mountain 8   0.023   8.023 2 Emily Wolfe 4   0.023 1.5 5.523 3 Latasha Lee 5   0.038   5.038 4 The Flesh Lights 5   0.001   5.001 5 Criminal Birds     2 3 5 6 Mighty Mountain 2 2 0.57   4.57 7 Leopold & His Fiction 3 1 0.003   4.003 8 Ssleeperhold 4   0.001   4.001 9 White Walls 3   1   4 10 Isaiah the Mosaic 2   1.5   3.5   Tele Novella 3   0.5   3.5 12 Wheeler Brothers 3   0.064   3.064 13 Borzoi 3   0.039   3.039 14  Ben Ballinger 3   0.035   3.035 15  Easy Cameron Folkcore 3   0.011   3.011 16 Simple Circuit 3   0.01   3.01 17 Soul Track Mind 3   0.009   3.009 18 Blue Bear 3   0.005   3.005 19 Not in the Face 3   0.004   3.004 20 A Giant Dog 3   0.003   3.003   SURVIVE 3   0.003   3.003 22 Brennen Leigh & Noel McKay 3   0.002   3.002   Eagle Claw 3   0.002   3.002   EQUALS 3   0.002   3.002   Gorgeous Hands 3   0.002   3.002 26 Cartright 3   0.001   3.001   Ruby Fray 3   0.001   3.001 28 Megafauna 2 1 0   3   Silk Rodeo 3   0   3   Wild Bill & the Lost Knobs 3   0   3   The Sun Machine 2   0.051   2.051 32 Leo Rondeau 2   0.012   2.012 33 Riders Against the Storm 2   0.011   2.011 34 Dana Falconberry 2   0.009   2.009 35 Cool Piss 2   0.005   2.005   Mirror Travel 2   0.005   2.005 37 Migrant Kids 2   0.004   2.004   Shakey Graves 1 1 0.004   2.004 39 Growl 1   0.003 1 2.003   Hundred Visions 2   0.003   2.003 41 Boyfrndz 2   0.002   2.002   League of Extraodinary Gz 2   0.002   2.002   Strahan & the Good Neighbors 2   0.001   2.001   The Zoltars 2   0.001   2.001 45 Danny Malone   1   1 2   Gossamer Frontier 2   0   2   Institute 2       2 N/A   Living Grateful 2       2   SloMo Drag 2       2   Versus 2       2 N/A 51 Mayeaux & Broussard 1   0.072  0.5 1.572 52 The Vliets     0.002 1.5 1.502 53 Illustrations 1   0.059   1.059 54 Language Room     0.02 1 1.02 55 Roxy Roca 1   0.013   1.013 56 Auroravore 1   0.008   1.008 57 Max Frost 1   0.006   1.006 58 Lord Buffalo 1   0.005   1.005 59 American Sharks 1   0.004   1.004 60 Dylan C 1   0.003   1.003 61 Hooka Hey 1   0.002   1.002   Milezo     0.002 1 1.002   SIP SIP 1   0.002   1.002 64  Foe Destroyer     0.001 1 1.001   Grace London 1   0.001   1.001   Hikes     0.001 1 1.001   Suzanna Choffel 1   0.001   1.001 68 Bop English 1       1 N/A   Como Las Movies 1       1   Grape St 1   0   1   Massageinists 1       1 N/A   Party Girl 1       1 Legend: J = Jurors, W = Deli Writers, R = Deli Readers, OS = Open Submissions

List of Jurors:  Ryan (5th Street Studios), Laurie Gallardo (KUT/the Good Music Club), Eva Mueller (Spider House Ballroom), Dan Plunkett (End of an Ear), Max Meehan (Beer Land), Lance Villaincourt (Sonic Vault Austin), Brooke Wirth (C3), Carter Delloro (ovrld), Tyson Swindell (Red 7), Mark (Congress House Studios), Brittany Campbell (Parish/Scoot Inn), Michelle (North Door), Jessie (Waterloo Records), Lauren Bucherie (The Sessions), Eli (Switched On Austin), Maggie Lea (Cheer Up Charlie’s), John Laird (Side One Track One), Howdy Darrell (White Horse), Richard Whymark (The Good Music Club), Jennifer Houlihan (Austin Music People), Samantha Phelps (Boring Enormous), Gracie Luna (ATX Brands), Ross Bennett (Buzz Mill Coffee/Emo’s).

Hope you'll find some awesome new artists you weren't aware of!

The Deli's Staff

Wow! We got almost twice as many submissions this year as we did last year. Thanks to everyone who helped spread the word and give bands a chance to have their music heard by critics all over the country. After tallying the votes for the Open Submissions stage of our Austin Year End Poll, it's time to release the results.

Please note that no editor was allowed to vote for bands in their own scene. The editors that voted on the Austin scene were: Q.D. Tran (Deli Philadelphia), Jordannah Elizabeth (Deli San Francisco), and Paolo De Gregorio (Deli NYC, Editor-In-Chief).

Acts advancing to our Readers/Fans Poll with a ranking above 6.5:

1. Criminal Birds (Indie Rock) - 7.3
2. Emily Wolfe (Songwriters) - 7.2
3. The Vliets (Psych Rock) - 7.2
4. Growl (Indie Pop/Rock) - 7
5. Hikes (Folk Pop) - 6.8
6. Danny Malone (Songwriters) - 6.8
7. Language Room (Alt Rock) - 6.6
8. Foe Destroyer (Garage Pop/Rock) - 6.6
9. Milezo (Psych Pop/Rock) - 6.6

Honorable Mentions (ranked above 6.0):

Calliope Musicals (Psych Pop/Rock) - 6.3
Lake Lady and the Mountain Man (Soul/Indie Pop) - 6.3
Paula Maya (World Music) - 6.3
Anya (Hip Hop) - 6.2

Total submissions from the Austin Scene: 43

WHAT'S NEXT: These results end the first phase of the poll. In the next few days we'll unveil the artists nominated by our local jurors (mostly venue promoters and other industry people who know the Austin scene insode out), and we'll let our readers and writers influence the poll with their vote.

Thanks to all the acts who submitted to us. Our open submissions pool was truly a celebration of the diversity and richness of Austin's talent. Keep creating, keep supporting and stay tuned for your chance to vote!

The Deli Staff

Emily Wolfe came in second in our Open Submissions portion of the Year End Poll. With crisp harmonies and a chill indie rock flair, this songwriter had another thing coming when she thought her first album would be her last. Listen to her latest sounds below and don't forget to vote for your favorite band in the final stage of our Year End Poll! -Written by Charise Sowells

One Way Train by Emily Wolfe