a well-constructed indie-pop song.  your voice is lush....

Parallel

elkyn shares his most sprightly release to date, the dream-pop flecked ‘talon’. 

The single is taken from his forthcoming debut album ‘holy spirit social club’ which arrives March 18th via Curation Records. 

The moniker of Leeds’ Joey Donnelly, elkyn’s unflinchingly honest take on indie-folk has seen him become a streaming success in recent months, picking up prime spots on editorial playlists like Our Generation and Fresh Finds. He’s also had regular airplay on BBC 6Music, BBC Introducing and Radio X. He’ll head out on his debut headline UK tour in March following the release of the album. 

Whilst elkyn’s first release, 2020’s beech EP, showcased a more lo-fi sound, ‘holy spirit social club’ finds Donnelly recording with a band for the first time, creating more fleshed out songs that retain the integrity of that early work. The bright melodies and instant nature of new single ‘talon’ act as a precursor for what to expect on ‘holy spirit social club’.

Speaking about the track, Donnelly said: “Talon’s about being thrown a bit more into adulthood and trying to form different relationships. It’s from a perspective from me now after finishing uni and the years before feeling pretty meaningless now. 

“The song starts off from a place of feeling comfortable with someone whilst being pretty uncomfortable with everything else going on. Then moves onto losing that from not being able to speak or communicate anything and doing the classic of just pushing everything away instead.”

Whilst the sound of ‘holy spirit social club’ maybe more upbeat, elkyn’s fragile half-whisper and his searingly honest lyrics remain at the heart of the songs. Indeed, it sees him put his uncensored inner dialogue on paper and bravely air thoughts that most wouldn’t dare expose. Whether that’s hurtful messages to one’s self, vague and elusive memories or lingering lessons from childhood, it’s all here on ‘holy spirit social club’.

Previous single ‘everything looks darker now’ recounted a rainy night in Manchester when he shied away from an old friend. Album-track ‘change’ finds him on the streets of Yorkshire, revisiting his family home and wondering whether he had fulfilled his father’s desire for him to ‘become a man’ - a sore point that resurfaces again and again on ‘holy spirit social club’. 

Whilst elkyn isn’t exactly kind to himself on ‘holy spirit social club’, it does see him lift a monumental weight from his shoulders. In elkyn’s words, it’s “an interim into writing nicer songs and being nicer to myself”. In creating ‘holy spirit social club’, he has faced demons that he’s shied away from for too long, finding a way back to himself that previously felt impossible. It’s only by sitting with your darkest moments that you can begin to glimpse the light - ‘holy spirit social club’ is proof of that and a whole lot more.

talon

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Born in an old brewery, formed in a Leeds basement, and refined since 2019, elkyn is an acute reflection of Joseph Donnelly's beautiful heart. Carefully crafted lyrics erupting with honesty and intricately finger-picked guitars make this Yorkshire-based songwriter's unique brand of music equal measures of affecting, compelling, and deeply addicting.

talon

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