Sometimes I hear a song in our submission box and it takes me to a place in my past. So, dear reader, let me tell you where ELIKSA’s new single “Never Enough” – the first look at their debut live album ELIKSA From Falmer Court – took me.
It’s about May 2013. I’ve got about two weeks until I finish college but I’ve passed every class I need to graduate. My awful off-campus studio apartment reeks of weed, week-old beer, and grilled cheese. The beautiful person who spent the night still lies wrapped up in my bed covers. The sun shines through the cheap curtains. The economy’s a wreck, I’ve got no job prospects, and I have no idea what the future holds for me or anyone. Oh, and I’m sure I’m about thirty minutes late for a radio shift. But despite those worries, life feels good.
That encapsulates the slacker style of ELIKSA’s new track, marking the first release since they started making music under that name last year. They’ve spent their time sharing their music around the Brighton scene, with their fuzzy guitars and disaffected vocals attracting larger crowds with every show. While ELIKSA’s a solo act, they feel comfortable with a backing band; after moving to Brighton from the French countryside, they were a member of the local group ELLiS D.
From Falmer Court captures ELIKSA performing songs over a one-day period in the historic Great Thatch Barn at Falmer Court, a gorgeous Brighton venue with medieval charm. The excitement and immediacy of the performance introduces not just ELIKSA’s music but their overall artistry to a wider audience. With both a musical and visual aspect to the release, From Falmer Court transforms the often-quaint space into something more mysterious, liminal, and alive.
ELIKSA advertises themselves as “developing a space for escape artists and daydreamers”, and the music – especially “Never Enough” – absolutely fits their target audience. It’s the kind of song you put on while you’re pulling on your nearest pair of least-dirty jeans, brushing your teeth with no toothpaste, grabbing a Diet Coke out of the fridge, and getting on your filthy excuse for a bike to race up to campus before your professor marks you late. It’s a song for those who get so caught up in floating out of their head that their feet no longer touch the ground, and while they know they’ll go down someday in a fiery and brutal crash, at the moment, that’s none of their business.
You can see the dreamy nature of ELIKSA’s “Never Enough” for yourself in the music video below. Catch more of their music when ELIKSA From Falmer Court drops on May 22nd.
Written by Will Sisskind
