Amelia Rivas and Christian Pinchbeck don't just sing about feverish, frayed and  fractured romances – in the three years since forming  Elephant, they've been living one.

Their first recordings, recorded in the strung out early mornings after the night before, were delirious and light-headed. Rivas’ stream of conscious lyricism combined with Pinchbeck’s innate melodic nous to create vignettes of delight and wonder.  A debut single followed, 2011’s woozy Ants, followed by the Assembly EP.   But before they had a chance to capitalise on the growing acclaim around them the duo’s relationship broke down, almost to the point of no return.

That seemed to be Elephant’s graveyard.  Yet an unexpected rapprochement in late 2012, and a renewed musical hunger saw Rivas and Pinchbeck reconcile.  The first fruit was this year’s gauzy single Skyscraper, which announced their return in spectacular fashion, with Rivas’ swooping vocals allied to a spectral chorus creating an eerie, lens-flared 3 minute wonder of song.

Now, new release Shapeshifter provides confirmation that Elephant are truly back as a force to be reckoned with. “I flew to the moon to mirror you and I saw the future” sings Rivas, with a raw melancholy and nostalgic longing. A sumptuous missive of love lost and lessons learned, that sparkles with charm, optimism, and the sort of lush swoonsome string arrangements that reach into your chest and wring your heart dry. 

Backed by the sparse and stretched out Snowday, as icily cool as it sounds, full of chiaroscuro contrasts and flickering atmospherics, it’s a release that suggests their debut album is set to be one of the standout albums of 2014.

ELEPHANT LINKS: 
 
Facebook - www.facebook.com/elephanttheband    
Twitter – www.twitter.com/ElephantTwit  
Label -  www.memphis-industries.com


Elephant - Shapeshifter

Cape Town, South Africa.

http://www.indieshuffle.com/booklub-western-hours/

Booklub - Western Hours

Second single taken from debut EP, available online via Deaf Ambitions.

Buy our debut EP here:
https://deafambitions.bandcamp.com/album/redspencer

Ride It Out

'Young' from our new EP, 'Cyclical'. 
Single track available as free download, with EP available now on iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/gb/album/cyclical-ep/id998532957

Young

This is the last track on from my new EP which is out now.

Available now via iTunes: http://smarturl.it/BeautifulWordsiTunes
Available now via the Wichita webstore – http://smarturl.it/oscarBWEP

Mojo "chocolatey rich baritone...jangly guitar-pop redemption"
NME - 8/10 - "a sublte layer of melancholy...rich in melodies... just you try to forget him"
DIY "Oscar's take on pop is anything but nostalgic"

See me live:
18th July - Latitude Festival, Suffolk, UK
22nd July - Valkhof Festival, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
23rd July - Lucky Number 10th Birthday Party, Village Underground, London, UK
8th August - Visions Festival, London, UK
22nd August - Obstwiesen Festival, Dornstadt, Germany
4th Sept - End Of The Road Festival, Salisbury, UK
26th Sept - Independent Night, various venues, Berlin, Germany


Beautiful Words

Oscar - Stay

Music and Performances by Balancer

Produced, Mixed, and Engineered by GG Reynolds at the Electrokitty Sound Studio in Seattle, Wa

Mastered by Rich Morales at Superfine Audio

Clarity

“I want to go anywhere and dream away” singer Karolien Van Ransbeeck whispers in ‘Summer Sun’, Few Bits’ luscious new single, taken from their sophomore album ‘Big Sparks’.  A pitch-perfect mix of  shimmering guitars, hazy vocals and loose but galloping grooves. Imagine Real Estate tackling Mazzy Star’s ‘Fade Into You’ at 45rpm instead of 33 1/3rpm and you get the picture. But there’s a lot more to this Antwerp based band. 

Debuting in 2013 with a self-titled debut album ‘Few Bits’ they immediately stole hearts of music lovers in Belgium and beyond. The band got invited to support the likes of Vampire Weekend and The War On Drugs and went on a UK tour with The Lemonheads. Gaining confidence on stage night after night is clearly reflected in the dynamic and full dreampop sound of ‘Summer Sun’ and the themes explored on the new album. 

Karolien’s songs about the shadow side of love, about longing for something that ultimately always remains just out of reach, and about finally having the courage to relinquish control come from a deeply personal place. “I always write autobiographically", she explains, "I'm not really interested in writing from someone else's perspective. A song doesn't just have to sound good, it also has to express exactly what I feel. Otherwise I'd rather throw it away. I don't come up with fiction. Every word, every comma, has to fit my head and my heart." 
Fresh from making their US debut at this year’s SXSW Festival, and just in time for the Canadian Music Week and The Great Escape, Few Bits is ready to win over hearts and ears all over the world with their new single ‘Summer Sun’

Join us on their trip and dream away.


FEW BITS - Summer Sun

Debut EP out via Bandcamp - https://sistersocrates.bandcamp.com

Song by Sister Socrates (Adam Dean, Matthew Kenneally, Justin Olsson, Lachlan O'Kane) featuring vocals by Kath Simpson. Mixed and mastered by Isaac Barter.

Less Myself

lacking forth, an ace in the hole, drilling like a mole
seriously facing it all, nationwide adored
i would take, a wander through the city streets into darkening edge
festy race, faeces into my face, i forfeit the race

head first into night air, break forth, you were not there,
heartbreak again
slump down sink to the knees, becoming easy to please
heartbreak again

I’m not getting off easy, so to speak, needn’t you worry bout anything further
and i’d take it or leave it, poison if i do but not if not 
i made life so convoluted, in my world, the pleasure rolls in endless bouts and bounds
forgiving the method, was the easiest i’d brought upon myself

atoned into black death, taking in a full breath, 
your thighs around my neck i miss so bad
taken from the parking lot, safely in the oldest form 
nothing to say anymore without a sake anymore

Maintain

S.E.P

Brother

Just Visiting

Follow Thomas' new Project over at:
https://soundcloud.com/vildemusic

Young

Kins

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