ELEPHANZ "ELEPHANZ" LP

Description

As they approached the challenge of their second album, the Verleysen brothers did their best to escape the curse of the difficult second album. Starting with the idea of recording a follow-up to their critically acclaimed debut, Time For a Change, Elephanz opted for a different path. In the end, the band made a much greater leap than they could have imagined. In striving to create the best possible record, the two brothers discovered an audacity they hadn't initially suspected. Physically exhausted by months on the road, they chose to isolate themselves and create. It was in winter, in a small apartment in Calvados, that the songs came to life. Rather than capitalizing on the success of their first album by multiplying contacts with external producers and various music industry professionals, they embarked on a painful, long, and complicated but ultimately very rewarding adventure, just the two of them. The two brothers developed the daring sounds of already unforgettable songs. Dark music, rich in new textures. Armed with new tools, including an easily portable analog keyboard and numerous plug-ins, Elephanz built a new sound. With a constant concern: not to unnecessarily over-produce the tracks. A demanding purification process that considerably streamlined the production of the songs. During mixing, Pierrick Devin brought a coherence that was lacking in the first album, which was mixed by various people. If they learned one lesson from their first record, it was this: prioritize homogeneity above all else. As well as the sharing of tasks. For the first time, Maxime participated in writing the lyrics, bringing the touch that gives Elephanz's formula its singularity: luminous melodies, straight out of pop, serving often dark lyrics. A winning oxymoron once again, notably on the song "The Catcher in the Rye," joyfully desperate. More settled and serene than its predecessor, this new album relies on programmed drums that give the compositions a more interior, almost enigmatic feel. The duo's meticulous production cloaks the songs in a mysterious veil that requires several listens to penetrate the density of the sounds used here. The guitars skim the walls, tormented by Jonathan, who wanted to put them through a thousand abuses rather than settling for simple chords. On "I Feel Love," a Vocoder even makes an appearance, which is not the least of the surprises on an album that will make our melancholy waltz all autumn long. For the first time, the band decided to sing in the language of Etienne Daho. On a handful of tracks, Maxime and Jonathan deliver their chosen words with the finesse of our best lyricists.