Elder Island releases sophomore LP Swimming Static
Photo credit: @_nic_kane
"Utilising guitar, vocals, cello and more, the Bristol trio are able to spin something magical, something really rather intoxicating."
- Clash
“With their unpredictably spot-on musical choices, simple but effective production aesthetic, and humanistic elements, Elder Island is clearly on the rise.”
- Earmilk
“Elder Island, for any fans of live dance music akin to The XX, Tom Misch or the incredulity of Radiohead”
- Epigram
Bristol electronic trio Elder Island release their sophomore album, Swimming Static, featuring hit singles 'FERAL', 'Purely Educational' and new focus track 'Queen Of Kings'.
Following 2019’s acclaimed debut album The Omnitone Collection, Elder Island’s new ten-track, Swimming Static, sees the band reach new heights of expertly crafted experimentation. Flitting between the surreal dream-state of electronica and the storytelling-esque lyricisms of indie, the new album tempers introspection with a coveted taste of feel-good pop, offering dashes of neo-soul at the core.
Alongside this, the band have worked with longtime friend and director Nic Kane to capture the ‘Making Of’ process. A mix of studio footage and talking heads, the 16-minute short film explores the band’s processes in-depth, tracing songs from early handwritten notes to studio jams and finished pieces. With a shining DIY ethos, they highlight the creative freedom their independence has allowed them.
Named after the agitation and general listlessness felt during the lockdown, the trio is carving out a genre-defying space, with infectious songs that shapeshift and captivate. Speaking about the album, which was recorded over the past year in their home studio, Elder Island explains:
“Swimming Static is an album born of freeform musical expression, shaped by overcoming challenges and fortified by the severity of focus bestowed upon it. The album explores our disposition towards nostalgia and reflection. The fallibility and changeability of history, myth and memory. Within the tracks we learnt to apprehend and appreciate the turmoils of the present by looking elsewhere but all the time striving to pledge ourselves to the moment.”
Streams of over 200 Million on Spotify alone evidence the group’s huge international fan base, who are drawn to Elder Island’s ability to create catchy, dance-worthy tracks. The trio has headlined over 60 international shows, performing at large capacity venues across the UK and the US, including The Roundhouse (London), The Marble Factory (Bristol), Bowery Ballroom (NYC), El Rey Theatre (LA) and The Fillmore (San Francisco). In addition to this, the band has toured as main support for Glass Animal throughout Europe and appeared in their last performance as special guest headliners alongside Maribou State, with support from DJ Seinfeld, Folamour and Quantic, at London’s iconic 5000 capacity venue Printworks.
Elder Island is vocalist and cellist Katy Sargent, bassist and beats maestro Luke Thornton and guitarist and synth virtuoso David Havard.
SWIMMING STATIC
Tracklisting
1. Embers
2. Purely Educational
3. Small Plastic Heart
4. Sacred
5. Here Am I
6. Queen Of Kings
7. Feral
8. Intertwine
9. Cannonball
10. Late At Night
