We’ve been big fans of Melbourne duo piece Beloved Elk for a little while now, but they recently reignited our love for their emotive indie rock sensibilities with their stunning single ‘Made out of Glue’.
‘Made out of Glue’ was crafted over the course of two years – each verse written six months apart. It’s also actually the precursor to what we’re sharing with you today: The band’s new EP Close.
A follow on from their 2013 EP Peace Offering, which our Tone Deaf writer called a showcase of “the band’s dynamic musical style” Close sees the two piece reach a new peak in their creative development and songwriting achievements.
To celebrate the release of Close (out now via LISTEN Records) Amy, the duo’s vocalist/ guitarist has penned a track by track accompaniment for the EP which you can check out below. Give the EP a spin and if you like what you’re hearing be sure to pop by Beloved Elk’s Facebook page for more info.
Noah
After recording four lyric-dense songs over a month, Tina (drummer) went into the shed and wrote and recorded everything on this instrumental in a few hours. It’s an intro to the shifting moods of the record and a chance for her to speak by herself before the words begin.
Made Out of Glue
‘Cause relationships are very hard to do and overflowing with a ‘why am I such a horrible person; so unlovable’ thought cycle. Each verse of ‘made out of glue’ was written six months apart, after I kept having the same fight with my girlfriend.
The fights were never really about anything, but more a symptom of us listening to our internal noises over each other. So this song is for every time we worked out how to communicate and it felt like: FUCK *insert guitar solo and unrestrained drum overdubs*
A big celebration to that fleeting connection I guess.
Blood Moon
Written on the night of a blood moon – maybe I was just getting my period – or else I was feeling frustrated at the dozens of cool left wing dudes who’d told me I should stop shouting onstage and put a little more effort into what I wear.
Inspired by some similar conversations happening online at LISTEN, a toxic dayjob I felt stuck at and a stolen guitar progression from Iggy Pops ‘I Wanna Be Your Dog’ – this song is me screaming back at a boy victimhood rock vibe of “crazy bitch broke my heart”. Like, maybe she has some reason to her, bro.
The Light Of Dead Stars
Sometimes the only thing that makes me brave enough to do something is the thought that I’m definitely going to die – that includes reaching out and loving someone. This song is about trying to let that grow and push through while all the fear is going on.
I think, and I try to think “this is the only thing that matters” and then when it hurts too much I try to breathe out on: Hey, it’s no problem! Nothing matters when you’re dead.
It’s really nice.
Ourselves
I was raised in front of a television by divorced parents in front of televisions. Since then it’s been a battle against hiding away. This song is about how maybe we’re not supposed to be alone all the time; constantly protecting our little selves. Maybe it’s ok to give and receive; be part of a community etc.
While Tina opened the record with a solo instrumental, we decided to close it with me singing this solo to an acoustic guitar. It was a way to unpack the sound into our two roles – songwriter and multi-instrumentalist – so that either end of the record is one half of beloved elk’s ingredients, but the three middle tracks are the combined result.
Calling the record “close” was a similarly obsessive stab at symmetry for me. Songs about closing off/songs about wanting to be close – and maybe people will pronounce it based on however they’re feeling.
