Hot on the heels of their s/t debut album last September, psyche-rock trio Elevant have wasted no time in readying its follow-up: Dreamface, set for release via Elevant Music Limited (EML) on 13th March 2015.
After a whirlwind tour of the UK in autumn 2014, the hardworking trio headed determinedly straight back into the studio the following November to write and record what would become their second full length album.
The announcement comes as the Elevant prepare to mount an all new live campaign for spring 2015, that will kick off with a warm up show in their old stomping ground of Liverpool (The Jacaranda) on the 16th January before a string of dates that winds up in Leicester's The Shed on the 4th of April. A special show and album launch party will commemorate the release of Dreamface on the 13th March.
The Dreamface LP
Laying down and mixing all 11 tracks at the (recently defunct) Western Recording Company on Seel St. in their native Liverpool with the help of sound engineer Kyle Western, Dreamface was turned over in a frenzied six days. As the group listened to the final mix, the legendary studio literally began to be dismantled around them to make way for a new property development scheme. As such, Dreamface finds itself as the last record that will ever be conceived there.
Following this, Elevant left their sophomore LP to the highly capable hands of Pete Maher (Jack White, U2, Goldfrapp) to place his signature production upon. The result is an album that blends the furious tenacity of their live shows and with a sonic palette hungrier and more ambitious than ever before.
Soaking up reference points from genres as wide ranging as psychedelia, post punk, to Krautrock and everything in-between Dreamface is an album bristling with ideas and an electric energy.
Speaking about the new material frontman Michael Edward has said Dreamface pushed the band to take their sound to all new territories:
"It's going further in every direction we've previously touched. The song-writing is better, some of it is heavier, some of it has acoustic guitars, some of it has odd time signatures, and the closer is a long noise rock instrumental in the vein of Lightning Bolt or Boredoms."
But it seems the sky is not necessarily the limit for Elevant this time, as they harness audio taken from final frontier itself on the album centrepiece "Nothing", which samples the recordings from NASA's Voyager transmitted in space.
Laying bare lyrics addressing a loved one's major operation ("Open Heart Surgery"), suicide ("Blind"), political frustration ("In Ourselves We Trust") and not forgetting the tongue-in-cheek swipe at being burned out ("Stress"), , the band find themselves opening up on a more personal and reflective level on Dreamface than on their former work.
Dreamface will be released on the 13th March 2015 vi EML records / Elevant UK Tour Dates 16th January - 4th April 2015 (full dates listed below)
Elevant are: Michael Edward - Guitar/Vocals; Hannah Lodge - Bass; Tom Shand - Drums/Backing Vocals
Biography
Elevant is the brainchild of songwriter, guitarist, vocalist and boss of Elevant’s own label, Michael Edward. With multi-instrumentalists Tom Shand and Joe Hutchinson on drums and bass respectively in tow, the band originally began as a recording project in their home town of Liverpool. Drawing on influences from hard rock to psychedelia, post punk to rock and roll, krautrock to blues, and whatever else had crossed their ears, these obsessive music fanatics decided to head into the studio to take a stab at making music that combined passions and influences.
Inspired by the recording process of Steve Albini, the band emulated his approach to perform as tight-as-hell, one take cuts to capture the power, spontaneity and visceral thrill of a kick-ass live band in full flight. Unsurprisingly, this only led to an insatiable itch to take their show out on the road. Mapping out their first full UK tour for September 2014, rehearsals took place making a last minute bass substitution as Hannah Lodge came in to replace Joe Hutchinson to complete the current line up before hitting the live circuit.
The self titled debut was released on the 17th of September on Edward's own label, Elevant Music Limited. They completed a national tour and made a music video for Living at Night, and are currently making one for Inhale/Exhale. Dreamface, their second LP, was written and recorded in November 2014 in Liverpool.
SPRING 2015 TOUR DATES
Manchester, The Thirsty Scholar, 19/2
Chester, The Live Rooms, 20/2
Nottingham, Jam Cafe, 6/3
Liverpool, The Lomax, 13/3 (Album Launch Night)
Glasgow, The Buff Club, 20/3
London, Surya, 28/3
Leicester, The Shed, 3/4
For More Information:
Official: http://elevantband.com/
Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/elevantmusik
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ElevantMusik/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/ElevantBand
Band Camp: http://elevant.bandcamp.com/album/elevant
Instagram: http://instagram.com/elevantmusik