Bristol-based electronic-pop trio Elder Island release arresting new single ‘Feral’

• Their first new release since acclaimed 2019 debut album, ‘The Omnitone Collection’

• Accompanied by B-side ‘Absolute’, a soothing, synth-led antidote to ‘Feral’

• Listen via Spotify, Apple Music, Deezer, or Tidal here

• Or stream on Soundcloud here

Carving out a genre-defying space for themselves in our musical landscape, Elder Island captivate with shapeshifting songs wherein textures matter as much as melodies, and lyrics are littered with crypticism. The trio’s music cherry-picks and transforms elements from genres as diverse as electronica, house, pop and neo-soul. The result is a web of sound that threads poetic lyricism and unfamiliar instruments over a backdrop of electronic elements and synth-heavy dance beats. 

The first glimpse and a taster from the upcoming album is single Feral (backed by the R&B-inspired harmonies of B-side Absolute). 

A dramatic track, it builds towards a crescendo with inexorable, synth-lead force. “It's got a driving aggressive sound that's quite dark, and then this light bossa nova beat that goes along with it,” explains bassist Luke Thornton. “The song is inspired by childhood memories of fear, so the track has become a juxtaposition between darkness and light.” 

In a nod to the classic double-sided cassette and vinyl singles, Elder Island also release B-side ‘Absolute’. Juxtaposing the intensity of the A-side, ‘Absolute’ is the antidote to ‘Feral’, a drifting synth-led track floating melodically through soft, choral vocals, which nevertheless maintains an unrelenting 4/4 beat.

HIGHLIGHTS:

200M+ streams globally to date, with over 1M monthly listeners on Spotify; 22x New Music Fridays.

US sold-out shows include BoweryBallroom (New York City, 850 cap), El Rey Theatre (1200 cap) and Fillmore (San Francisco, 1500 capacity).

UK & Ireland sold-out Omnitone Tour headlineshows include Roundhouse (London, 3000 cap), MarbleFactory (Bristol, 2,000 cap) and ButtonFactory (Ireland, 800 cap).

Festival performances at Latitude (UK), Bluedot (UK), LostVillage (UK), TGE (UK), Live at Leeds (UK), Wildeberg (NL), Pete the Monkey (FR), ParkLive (RU), Westward (CA).

Special guest headliners alongside Maribou State at Printworks (London, 5,000 cap), with support from DJ Seinfeld, Folamour and Quantic.

Nominated for ‘Best Record’ and ‘Best Electronic Act’ by The UMAs.

Glass Animals main support for sold out 2017 EU Tour.

Previous UK radio support from BBC Radio 1, BBC 6 Music, BBC Introducing, AmazingRadio + more

International radio support from #1 NACC Chill Chart - 22 weeks (US), Radio Eins (DE), Flux FM (DE), 3FM (NL).

Remixes from Matthew Dear and Shigeto, with support from AnnieMac, The Blessed Madonna, Pete Tong, Danny Howard, Les Yeux Orange, Bolting Bits, Mixmag + more.

Brand Affiliation: Aston Microphones, Spoke & Stinger, Mahogany, Thatchers, Melody VR, Pinterest, Ellesse

“Elder Island are a technological marvel. Their songs unfold and reform, break gently out and then re-anneal into a separate form.”

- Drunken Werewolf

“Utilising guitar, vocals, cello and more, the Bristol trio are able to spin something magical, something really rather intoxicating."

- Clash

About Elder Island:

Elder Island are vocalist and cellist Katy Sargent, bassist and beat maestro Luke Thornton and guitarist and synth master David Havard. Having served in teenage bands, or in Katy’s case enjoyed childhood cello lessons, the trio met as students in Bristol where subjects studied included fine art, photography and graphic design – all things that would later come in handy for a band wanting to carve out a world of their own. 

Deciding to settle in the city seven years ago, a house-share plus a desire to indulge their interest in musical instruments and bits of production kit they had acquired over the years inspired the boundary-free approach that Elder Island’s music has taken. “Each time we've expanded our equipment it has fuelled new music” explains Sargent.

“And it always started in a bedroom or basement rather than a studio.” 

The band’s 2014 eponymous EP was the first example of this artistic growth. An ambient soundscape of field recordings, loops and percussive elements, it was followed by 2016’s more dance-influenced Seeds In Sand EP which in turn opened a path to their debut album The Omnitone Collection, a record streamed over 15 million times within the first year of its 2019 release.

Each project has represented a step forward, as new ideas and sounds have filled Elder Island’s palette, matching the journey-like experience that inspires and underpins each track’s creation.

Having achieved over 200 million streams on Spotify alone for their music so far, the trio’s blurring of boundaries is not limited to just music. Their approach to how they release and share their music has been uninhibited by traditional industry barriers thanks to the strong connection they have established with a growing, international fanbase. This has allowed them to possess both commercial and creative control.

A recent example of this unconstrained outlook was witnessed with the release of a tour film in June this year. Capturing their dates on their Omnitone Tour, the short documentary not only documented the unique, immersive quality of the band’s live performances – which have inspired sell out shows at iconic venues around the globe – but it also heralded a raft of new tour dates for 2021. 

Elder Island have headlined 60 international shows to date, performing at large capacity venues across the UK, US and EU, as part of their Omnitone Tour. Venues include The Roundhouse (London), The Marble Factory (Bristol), Bowery Ballroom (NYC), El Rey Theatre (LA) and The Fillmore (San Francisco). In addition, the band were special guest headliners alongside Maribou State at Printworks (London), with support from DJ Seinfeld, Folamour and SG Lewis.

The live experience is also a palpable demonstration of the intuitive, emotional understanding that exists between the trio. The same understanding that allows them to begin their songs via their improvised, musical journeys, also shines through on stage as the band’s charismatic collaboration radiates as much from their music as from their on-stage interaction.

From their meticulously created records carved out from sonic experiments, which then take on a new existence on stage; via the rich experience inspired by their artwork and videos; to the very philosophy and independence which informs how the trio conduct themselves, Elder Island have evolved the experience of being a band, creating a welcoming, emotive and immersive world fashioned by the sheer power of creativity and free thinking. It is a place an audience will very much enjoy visiting.