“Scintillating....Hospelhorn's pop-adjacent experimental folk features her lovely, elastic vocals, her flute, and her intricately programmed electronics.” — Chicago Reader

“Beguiling” — WNYC

Em Spel's intricate, flute-driven alt-folk sounds like nothing else. The solo project of Chicago-based songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Emma Hospelhorn, Em Spel’s sophomore album, Bird or Snake, was released to widespread praise in 2026. Hospelhorn is a flutist in avant-classical group Ensemble Dal Niente, and her discography includes work on flutes, bass guitar, and keyboards for V.V. Lightbody, Mute Duo, and others working in a diverse array of genres including folk, drone, garage rock, post-punk, and classical. In this solo endeavor, she fuses all of these influences with story-driven lyrics to create invitingly strange folk vignettes. To listen, visit emspel.bandcamp.com.