On July 31st, Nashville alt-folk artist ELROD released his follow-up to his debut album “House Fires and Broken Teeth”, a driving psychedelic single called “ALBUTEROL”. What starts out as an unassuming folk tune lingering on a dominant chord soon explodes into a trip-hop-infused world of its own.
The fingerstyle opening evokes the expertise of Nick Drake or perhaps some softer Zeppelin tunes, while ELROD’s gritty voice provides a 90s edge. He quickly sweeps you off your feet into an array of nasty guitars and distorted breakbeats. Much like a Tame Impala song, it creates a whole universe that blossoms around you, building to a ripping guitar solo that trails out into glitchy vocal chops, dropping you off in a post-apocalyptic wasteland with nothing but a broken radio and the echoes of what you knew.
“ALBUTEROL” explores the sounds that ELROD experiments with on his previous releases, leaning into heavier guitars and drums. I look forward to seeing him keep pushing the boundaries of what a folk song can become; I think it will make for some very interesting music.
ELROD has since released a live-to-tape EP of five brand-new songs, which I highly recommend for a closer look at his stellar songwriting chops.
Written by Keira Das
