How multiple are you? Ever have moments when you act in way that is out of character? Find yourself reading Jungian psychology while watching the Kardashians? Eat a lot of fried chicken? In random hot spots? With multiple lovers? Fear not, it could be your shadow self at play.
This compact album (seven tracks) from Dunedin’s Elan Vital - Renee Barrance (keys, vocals), Danny Brady (synths, drum machine, effects, vocals) and Nikolai Sim (bass) - recommends you embrace your inner darkness, your shadow self, while asking you to dance to their death disco. You should download it now. Or buy the vinyl. It is an extraordinary debut and proves the band are fully formed and destined for great things.
Opener ‘Shadow Self’ introduces us to their world through eerie industrial train noises and a pulsing synth before a guitar screeches in and out over a kick drumbeat, and then a mysterious vocoder’d voice appears. From there ‘Hologram’ is the sound of Daft Punk if they lived in a cold communal flat. It’s anthemic, and the pulsing panning synths sound cool on headphones.
Elan Vital’s influences are there for everyone to see, but they make them their own, in a good way. There are big swathes of constantly shifting sound and funky beats, from the Marty Rev / Suicide sounding ‘Dreams’ to the grit of ‘Possession’.
It’s a dark, well-produced album with haunting cover art. And now, with the passing of Chuck Berry, rock ‘n’ roll is finally dead. Rejoice! We need this album. Shadow Self marks a point where Dunedin music might finally pull away from the retrospection of ‘The Dunedin Sound’ and start looking future-forward. Not a jangly guitar in sight. And Renee Barrance has a great voice - vocoder’d or not.
Catch Elan Vital live if you can. Take your shadow self out.
Shadow Self is out now on Fishrider Records