ELEL: When She Walks

I believe that Elel has coined a new genre of music with their latest single, “When She Walks.” The track was released on Consequence of Sound, July 29th and is still making waves in the indie sphere. It is a great start to what will be heard on the Nashville based band’s debut album, Geode, to be released by Mom and Pop Records, October 21st. It is a fantastic americana indie pop song with hispanic influences… hispanicana pop, if you will.

The lyrics in the verses are sung so honestly that they paint the picture of a beautiful woman who walks into a room and stops the “buzzing in this beehive.” However, as frontman Ben Elkins told Consequence of Sound: “When I was writing the verses, it became a song more about one person calming another person’s troubled mind. So the song became much more emotionally based, eventually.”

Musically speaking, there are bright brass elements that highlight the salsa influence to the track. The melodic washboard sound brings me to the south, sipping lemonade on a sunny day by the lake. The eight piece band’s prominent bass drum, layered vocals in the choruses and frequent brief instrumental breaks somehow instill a mellow, summery sound that I very much welcome. The track is reminiscent of Saint Motel’s “My Type,” but with a more subdued, but still big band vibe. (Saint Motel remixed Elel’s previous release, “Animals.” Both versions can be heard on the band’s Soundcloud page.)

Check out “When She Walks” on Soundcloud (and below) and while you can on Buzzband’s Spotify playlist. Preorder “Geode” on vinyl, cd or as a digital release on Elel’s website.