Great music has the ability to bend time and space. When that one song strikes all the right cords and your body and mind are consumed by that unexplainable feeling, nothing else matters.
Music oftentimes means more than one is capable of saying. That is the beauty of it: one can not possibly convey what a song truly makes them feel like. For that reason, music serves as a portal for us to gaze into our souls. It unlocks a part of us only we know and only we have felt. Great music serves as our guide to that time, or that place, or to that feeling and allows us to relive it infinitely.
Elderbrook’s incredible forthcoming debut LP “Why Do We Shake In The Cold?” serves as one such portal. The track “Numb,” allows listeners to relive a pensive stage of melancholy, where nothing mattered but feeling numb. Or the song “Something About You,” which touches on toxic masculinity and the conditioning of males to bottle up their feelings and deal with things like depression and addiction on their own.
The beauty of “Why Do We Shake In The Cold?” is Elderbrook’s exploration into the themes of human connection, emotional tendencies, and loneliness – which resonates with us all. Aside from being musically and lyrically stimulating, the music videos in this album will open the flood gates for all sorts of emotion.
The Grammy-nominated UK singer-songwriter, producer, and multi-instrumentalist has amassed 100 million streams for “Something About You” (w/ Rudimental), “Numb,” and “My House” alone! On Spotify alone, Elderbrook boasts 6.5 million monthly listeners and has earned the praise from Sir Elton John, Annie Mac, Pete Tong, Diplo, Tiesto, and more.
It is apparent that Elderbrook has found comfort in vulnerability. By displaying his authentic and true self, Elderbrook has touched the hearts of many. LADYGUNN talked with Elderbrook about his creative process, his favorite song on the album, and what he seeks inspiration from.
First off, congratulations on producing the masterpiece that is “Why Do We Shake In The Cold?” – truly a concept album. What were your inspirations for such a creative album?
Thank you! I didn’t set out to create a concept album, my main inspiration was always just to create something unique that hadn’t been done before, so I tried to draw on sounds and styles that were eclectic to represent that. This meant that I tried to incorporate elements from other genres like indie with song structure and vocals over the electric music. However, as everything came together we found that all the songs had an underlying theme about human connection which is something I think about a lot.
As an artist, how have you found comfort in vulnerability?
I have struggled with finding the kind of artist that I want to be but recently I realized that if you’re proud of the music, it doesn’t matter what other people think about it. It’s always been an incredibly vulnerable experience for me releasing new music because every time it is a little part of me, and a story I want to share, being put out into the world so that authenticity to myself and message definitely helps.
What message do you hope your music sends to the world?
I try to just create a scene or feeling with my music rather than saying ‘this is what you should feel when listening to this,’ because that’s too prescriptive. Instead, I think it’s always amazing when somebody says they can relate to my lyrics or the song made them feel some kind of way that was personal and meaningful for them. You never know what is going to resonate with someone or how their own individual experiences will be affected by a song, but I just hope that it is one of enjoyment really.
Any key tracks off the album you hope fans gravitate towards or that have an interesting backstory?
The song “Down By The Bay” is the one I am most proud of and so I hope that people like it. The song instantly makes me feel and so, for me, it’s an emotive song that takes me on a journey. The final song on the album is also a very personal song. It’s about me proposing to my now fiancé and how by the following December we should have been married (although Coronavirus meant we had to postpone). It’s the first time I have ever written a melody and lyrics without being at a computer and that’s because we were away on the trip where I proposed and so it is incredibly meaningful to me. If you listen really closely, you can actually hear her talking and cooking in the background when we recorded it.
What is your creative process for creating art?
I definitely just sit down in the studio and see what happens from there. Sometimes it can be difficult to get into the creative headspace and it can take an hour or so before any kind of inspiration hits, or I can spend a few hours trying something and it doesn’t work. I think it’s definitely just about trying to be creative as often as you can and trying as many new things as possible.
Your music videos are phenomenal. What overall vision did you have in mind when creating the visuals for this album?
I think, like the music, I wanted to have more depth and soul than the classic party club records, and the music videos hopefully reflect that.
What is your musical background like?
I started off in a band with some of my friends when I was about 15, we were called Jammy and the Dodger and very much wanted to be just like Kings of Leon. I went to university to study commercial music and even then I was much more of a folk/indie artist. It’s only when I ran out of money at university and decided to try my hand at producing for other people to earn some cash that the shift to electronic music began. I realized that I enjoyed playing around with the new software and sounds and just kept practicing and eventually making some stuff for myself which I then put up on SoundCloud under Elderbrook and it all went from there.
It’s my belief that music transcends genres. You seem to draw inspiration from all sorts of artists! Who are some artists that inspire you? What traditional genres do you seem to pull from when creating music?
Sam Cooke has always inspired me for his silky, smooth, sweet and soulful singing. When it comes to lyrics I really draw inspiration from bands like The National, I love their nuanced imagery and the way they don’t really say anything explicit, but it conjures up a picture and it sounds really cool.
In terms of genres, I personally love all kinds of music and I think elements of each can be heard in my music. I still use quite indie lyrics in a lot of my songs but the harmonies often heard in traditional gospel music.
Can you tell us a bit about your aquarium performance? Such a unique venue… what made you want to perform there?
I’m so excited and happy about the aquarium performance, it was amazing to be able to perform there. When we were thinking about where we could film, it was a great suggestion that really tied in with the theme of loneliness within the album. It was a great space and visually I think it looked really cool.
Finally, beyond all your Hotel Room Sessions, how have you been spending quarantine? Any new habits/hobbies?
I have been going on a lot of long walks to try and stay active, playing a lot of frisbee, and also perfected making a burger from scratch. Other than that I have just been trying to get the album finished and chilling at my house with my fiancé and seeing a lot of family.
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Photos / Jacob Niblett
Story / Ali Qutmiera