Tuesday 15 May 2018

Elessar - Is This All We Are EP


Labels: Self-Released
Formats: CD/Digital
Release Date: 27 Apr 2018

Tracklist:

1. Half Love
2. Stay
3. In All Honesty
4. Careless
5. Saudade

I'm going for something a little easier tonight. Elessar is a four-piece emo/alt-rock band from Gloucester, England. They released their debut EP "Reflections" back in 2016 and have recently released this, their newest EP on cd and on digital platforms. They recently went out on a short tour in support of "Is This All We Are" with fellow Brit up-and-comers Halfway Hope and EDM/Rock band Hyde Project, taking them to London, Leeds & Manchester amongst other UK cities. 

Elessar kick things off in a heavier fashion than I was expecting on EP opener Half Love. Driving guitars give way to clean vocals and instrumentation that’s reminiscent of bands like Hidden In Plain View and Drive-Thru era bands of old. It’s catchy and while the sound is very polished, it’s got enough heft as well. There are moments throughout where Elessar chooses slightly off-kilter song-structures in place of the more standard 4/4 time signatures. It shows through on Stay and proves that they’ve grown up with many of the UK’s more intelligent alt-rock/post-hardcore bands. It’s great stuff so far. 

The gentler verses of In All Honesty and the impressive percussion/guitar work propels “Is This All We Are” further into memorable territory with all of the true emotion and sensitivity that many bands struggle to find, even with more years of experience behind them. I’ve sort of eluded to it above but it’s like going back in time a decade or more, when the sub-genre wasn’t so washed out and thrived on variation. The punk-laden uptempo approach of Careless gives off a ton of energy, in the same way that Cave In did on “Antenna”, while the atmosphere that swirls through EP closer Saudade is very much tempered with restraint and relief. it paints a picture of loss and pain but does so in a euphoric way. 

My comparisons may be at odds with those of others, but they reflect the feelings that Elessar provoked in me. The UK has a rich history and present day when it comes to alt-rock and melodic bands. Elessar will be a huge part of the scene in years to come, hopefully and right now they’re are a band that we can rightly be proud of.

Elessar have "Is This All We Are" available for streaming and digital download from the usual outlets and you can here Half Love below:-


CD digipack versions and merch can be picked up via their bigcartel page here - https://elessaruk.bigcartel.com

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