LISTEN: Elgin Unveils Latest Single “Oh Love”
LISTEN: Elgin Unveils Latest Single “Oh Love”
Dublin duo shares a serene ballad.
Words by: Ysabela De Ocampo
Elgin unveil the second taste of their upcoming record with, “Oh Love.” The track is an atmospheric indie-ballad which introduces the rest of the album, Weightless / Still — which is scheduled to drop May 28th of this year via Pixie Pace Records.
“Oh Love” embraces listeners with lush keys that reverberate and create an expansive sound for this mellow track. The sparse instrumentation allows for clear diction of lyrics that illustrate the melancholy scene of the track. Words like, “I feel the weight of your angels through your paintings.” A gentle underlayer of howling synths broaden the soundscape, and sparse percussive elements add weight to the simple, universal and sweet lyricism. To finish off “Oh Love,” a multilayered arrangement of instruments orchestrates melodies and countermelodies to give the track a dissonant feel in the outro.
“Oh Love” is pulled from Paul Butler, who is one half of Elgin. Upon the passing of his uncle, filmmaker Brandan Bourke, Butler struggled with the feelings of loss and questioning religion. “I was quite envious that they could say ‘he’s in a better place, he’s not in pain’. It’s a great concept, but I don’t believe in it at all. And I was angry at this. Like, what am I supposed to do?”
“Oh Love” joins Elgin’s leading single, “Cherry Picked” in this indie worldwide project. Their debut single being an artful indie-rock track about feelings of imposter syndrome, with its perfectly weighted line “You wanted a falcon, I gave you a finch”. The rest of the album explores themes of defeats, epiphanies, minor victories, smaller blessings and daily awkwardness. Butler admits that the songs he writes were “Things that I feel uncomfortable talking about.” Overall, the record is composed of tracks about many feelings and states of mind, all aspiring ultimately perhaps to a feeling we often dream about, the feeling of being weightless and still. “As in out-of-body,” says Butler. “The feeling that we never have.”
Elgin is the Dublin duo comprised of Anthony Furey and Paul Butler. Both come from a musical upbringing and formally trained musical background — better known for their musical collective The Young Folk. Elgin is a natural progression for the band’s new direction, allowing for a space where Furey and Butler can freely write, “You can be any age with it. And you can play in any style you like and write lyrics about any subject under the sun.” says Furey. For those who love the lyricism of Hozier, Dermot Kennedy, and instrumentation of Bon Iver’s music, Elgin is for you. Elgin brings the duo back to their simplistic roots as musicians. Now they look forward to sharing another collection of tracks from the heart, mark your calendars for Weightless / Still.
