After opening up the first show for Jaws of Love’s residency at the Silverlake Lounge, avant-pop project Elke follows up last year’s No Pain For Us Here with a new EP, My “Human Experience.” As the brainchild of Nashville singer-songwriter Kayla Graninger, the EP arrives alongside a new music video for panic-stricken punk rock opener “Call of the Void.”
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The track’s frantic rock sound, perhaps from collaborator and Paramore drummer Zac Farro’s doing, sounds nothing like any other songs which follow. However, it politely introduces Graninger’s pleasantly chaotic music as clones of the singer prance back and forth in red-light-green-light movements against equally chaotic background animations.
“Bouquet” sounds almost nothing like its abrasive opener, choosing to instead bring down the ante amongst tender guitars and benevolent eloquence of Graninger’s vocals and lyrics. And if that weren’t already mellow, then “Zubie Zubie” is a calming bossa nova coast through a catchy hook sure to get stuck in your head. As great as those songs are, the standout is, without a doubt, “Milk Dipped Cloud.” What might be the most fittingly named track on the EP, Graninger brings her avant-garde approach to an instrumental that could’ve come out of Factory Records besides O.M.D. and early New Order. Similarly, “My Sweetheart” also resonates with the 80s new wave, this time drawing a comparison to Gary Numan in what is easily the EP’s most romantically playful tune.
Unsurprisingly, the sounds that make up the newest effort perfectly complement what we’ve come to expect from Graninger’s project, which is eclectic music sure to draw in fans of any genre. That carelessness to classification will continue to make any future release from Elke, at the very least, exciting to anticipate.
Words: David Sosa
The new EP, My “Human Experience” is now available to stream.
You can keep in touch with Elke through Instagram, YouTube, TikTok, and the official website.
