ELK CITY – “THAT SOMEONE”
A SPILL EXCLUSIVE MUSIC PREMIERE
Who doesn’t love a powerful lead vocal. All the better with a strong groove-laden melody and a sonic trampoline of instrumentation synchronised so well that you know every player has painstakingly perfected their composition and performance. You can’t help but wonder how many times they had to rehearse what they are playing and how many times they have already managed to play this live in front of a real-life audience.
Seemingly influenced by both classic and post-punk (and perhaps even glam and alternative rock trailblazers), we are pleased to present the New Jersey-based indie rock outfit known as Elk City (yes, makes you wonder where the name originated from). While they’ve already left us with a handful of questions, one thing that is certain about this band is that their new single ‘That Someone’ is a smashing introduction to the Above the Water album they will be releasing in October.
Elk City was founded by artist/vocalist Renee LoBue and producer/drummer Ray Ketchem, who also founded the new Magic Door Record Label together with Guided by Voices drummer Kevin March. The forthcoming album and respective singles will be the first releases on this imprint.
Neighbors, collaborators and friends, the trio launched this label with very grassroots intentions of supporting the rich local music community they have come to know well.
Focused on the dual nature of self and other, excitement and dismay, That Someone, a formidable offering, as is the full-length record. With members of Versus (Richard Baluyut), Luna (Sean Eden) and the Psychedelic Furs side-project Feed (Chris Robertson) now making up the guitar section of the band’s new line-up, it comes as no surprise Elk City sounds so animated, brazen and effervescent. LoBue’s commanding vocals are the icing on the cake, making for a highly infectious track.
Since 1999, Elk City has faced the omnipresent question: What does Elk City sound like? Given their output of 5 albums, 3 EPs and countless one-off tracks, the answer is ever evolving. Eventually, Richard Baluyut became the band’s rehearsal tape archivist and obsessive editor, building out these rehearsal room jams into something completely different: The kind of elegantly crafted 3:30 pop songs that decades ago, bands would press onto a 12-inch, one to a side, almost as if to say, “Here’s a song you can get swept up in. Here’s a song about what it feels like to be alive.”
Above the Water was recorded, mixed and mastered at Ketchem’s Magic Door Recording, opened in 2017 as an acoustically lush refuge where musical expression and experimentation can unfurl. Ketchem, whose production credits include Guided By Voices, Luna, and Gramercy Arms, partnered with legendary studio designer George Augspurger to transform a cavernous warehouse into a freeform studio where vintage microphones, modern studio gear, and bespoke sound tuning elevate and inspire.
That Someone will be available everywhere digitally, including Apple Music, Tidal, Qobuz and Spotify. It will also be available as a single and also an instant grat download upon purchasing the full album on Bandcamp. The Above The Water LP will be released on October 21 and can be pre-ordered at https://elkcity.bandcamp.com/album/above-the-water
CREDITS
Renee LoBue – lead vocals, percussion
Chris Robertson – guitars, backing vocals
Ray Ketchem – drums, percussion, synths, sounds
Sean Eden – guitars
Richard Baluyut – bass, synths, backing vocals
Recorded, Mixed & Mastered by Ray Ketchem at Magic Door Recording, Montclair, NJ
Songs written and performed by Elk City
© 2022 sound is crazy music (BMI)
Single cover artwork by Ray Ketchem
Elk City
[Single]
(Magic Door Record Label)
Release Date: August 31, 2022
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