Not even a year after their spectacular debut LP on Conditions Records and Dog Knights Productions, Oakland screamy, emotive hardcore act ELLE (members of LOMA PRIETA and BEAU NAVIRE) are back with an outstanding new record on Dog Knights Productions and Zegema Beach Records! With amazing melodies and dramatic soundscapes, this brilliantly realised offering is remarkably cohesive, from the record’s emotional instrumentation to the inimitable way the aching vocals attacks nearly every track. Today, we’re honored to give you its first listen, along with the band’s fist hand commentary about each and eveyr song! With all the components in place in this amazing work, on “Ellipsis”, it feels as if everything has come together for the band in perfect unison, resulting in one of the strongest post hardcore / emotional screamo albums of recent years.
Ellipsis for us was a very reflective record. Much of the album is melodic like our last LP “She” but also has heavier, darker and melancholy pieces throughout. We feel like this was the next step in our journey. Also, as we get older, I believe we all grapple with changing emotions and how to cope with the darker sides of life and modern society. Even sometimes feeling lost in our path back to feelings of joy and peace.
We were very pumped to record again with our good friend Jack Shirley at his newer’ish studio in Oakland, CA – The Atomic Garden East.
We are also honored and humbled to work with Zegema Beach Records (CA) and Dog Knights Productions (EU) as our labels on this release. The US release/distro portion, we will be fronting as a band and self releasing.
The physical record will be printed and released late August 2019. You can pre-order it now through the labels, or through us directly now! There will be a limited 200/500 records on ultra clear vinyl and the remaining 300/500 on black. Full digital album will also be released with the physical record in late August, early September 2019.
Elle was formed in 2015 by a group of close friends in Oakland, CA. We wanted to translate our emotions into a medium where we could not only express ourselves, but connect deeply with others. We are always humbled by the amazing community that supports this type of music – punk, diy. Always remember your roots.
We are working on writing a few more songs and hoping to announce a split release with friends of ours late summer or fall.
Gig wise, no current tour dates are planned, but ELLE is tentatively looking at record release shows this fall and either east coast or Europe next summer 2020.
Scroll down to see the full track by track breakdown…
Terrene –
One of our more dynamic songs on the record. Love the intensity of this one. Overall the song is about dealing with facades people put up, but in the end recognizing that life is temporary and to never forget that truth when making your choices.
Wound –
Was stoked to go kind of melodic hardcore on this one. Wound is really about dealing with differentiating between emotions that we deal with from pressures of of modern society. Are we all wounded, wound up or is that the same? We let society desensitize ourselves from feeling love and caring about others.
Dust –
This song is about longing for the innocence of childhood. Even if our upbringings weren’t ideal most of us weren’t aware of the horrors of reality. Depression and anxiety seems to get louder for me every year. Looking back to a time when just physical touch from a loved one would bring me back to a calm place. We all struggle with anxiety in our own ways; as a kid I would pull my hair out, and subsequently had a bald spot that made me very insecure. As an adult it manifests as an exhausting internal dialogue that romances the past, fears the present, dreads the future. But in the end, we have each other and that needs to be a louder mantra for us all.
Binding –
This song is about re-writing your story. Breaking bad habits.
Throes –
Like the title, Throes is about the strength to overcome. With this nasty political climate we are in and the close minded people who try to drive us apart. Sometimes violent or powerful struggle is necessary. We can only do that as a community. Very happy with this song, as its a long one for us and veers into the post-rock realm a bit.
All Bets Are Off –
Felt like this song was a throw back to our punk roots with some spazzy hardcore parts and d-beats. Lyrically the song dives into the the constant assault that we take on daily from all inputs on life, but still being strong enough to be there for others.
Shimmer –
Love song.
Daggers –
Kill all tyrants.
Draw the Curtain –
Droning, repetitive and darker overtones. Draw the Curtain was a bit of an etherial song we wrote. Lyrically touching on working through different states of consciousness and being curious about how we all are trying to decipher what different movies and scenes we play in our heads. Whether in dreams or waking life.
