A debut is a momentous moment for all artists. It begins the line for which all things are cast from. Whether it’s a debut single, album, or show it is something that artists work towards with anticipation and hope that this beginning is a fruitful avenue to express their art. With the proliferation of streaming, debuts have become quite frequent leading to a fervorous competition to become the next break-out act. While only a few can succeed, we may have just received the next act poised to accelerate past others and become a darling of the indie electronic scene. That act is Elephants Doing Ballet and his spectacular debut “Bags”, a cover of the hit single from Clairo.
Not much is known or revealed about Elephants Doing Ballet. The act keeps himself shrouded in an air of mystery with dark shades, accentuated by neon coloring and an elephant masked draped over his face. This disguise is similar in nature to quite a few acts who prefer anonymity and the judgment free ability to allow their full artistic vision to speak freely with its designed intent. It should provide his future explorations on the environment, community polarization, and the over-reliance on technology to strike a chord with listeners, narrative tissues that formed from a vision-quest of self-discovery while in the desert.
While his reimagining of “Bags” does not provide insight into his global-conscious commentary, it does provide a glimpse into his sound and what we can expect from Elephants Doing Ballet moving forward. He transforms the Clairo hit into a far more textured sound painted with swaths of vibrant synths and thumping percussion that drive the song forward with rambunctious groove. There’s a really interesting snap that adds a nice wrinkle of intrigue and highlights the inventive production chops at the heart of the project. Overall, the sound has similarities to Tame Impala’s psychedelic qualities and a spirited dance vibe like early Purity Ring or Phantogram. These similarities help to build a sound that is quite exciting and one that will lead to enjoyable originals.
The debut of Elephants Doing Ballet is one that shines a spotlight on an act taking the stage for the first time who is poised for so much more. To cover a song and unleash a more colorful and tantalizing sound, is an impressive feat for a newcomer. It provides hope that his future work will be even better and something special that all will enjoy.
To stream “Bags”, follow the link here or continue down.
