Single Review: Elle – Self Titled EP

Elle hail from California’s Bay Area, they are relative newcomer to the scene, having only formed in 2015, who have now released their debut self titled EP via Conditions Records. The band features members of Loma Prieta, Beau Navire and Yearbooks, it appears that Elle have certainly been true to their heritage, they have created a dark and stormy debut that captures both the fury of their hardcore and punk roots, but also the subtlety of the indie and emo elements that have influenced the creation of their initial release.

The Clearing kicks off the self titled EP in a dark, distorted and fuzzy manner, the music, whilst heavy and dark, is delivered with a light touch that is something of a juxtaposition compared to the raw vocal delivery, Mockingbirds and Pulse follows the initial warning shot of the opening track, and these tracks build upon the intensity of their debut EP. Parts And Parcel takes the EP in a completely different direction, subtle ringing guitar notes are interspersed with a delivery that borders on hardcore, then the final track, Cold Hands, takes the EP to it’s logical conclusion. It takes all the elements that have featured on the initial quartet of tracks, and combines them all into an epic five minute finale that encompasses both the calm and the storm.

If you have a love for the stormy distorted side of hardcore and indie and then Elle may well be a band you need to investigate, for me the constant barrage of raw vocals and discordant guitars becomes slightly repetitive, but having said that there is something about Elle that marks them out from the noisy pack of bands that are covering this territory. This is a promising debut and it will be interesting to see where they go when they release their first full length on Conditions Records next year.

Elle‘s debut EP is available for streaming and download here and on vinyl here