Q&A: Elke “Gracefully and Chaotically” Walks Us Through Her Human Experience

Q&AMusic

Nov 17

☆ By Sophie Severs ☆

TO ELKE, TO BE HUMAN IS TO EMBRACE CHAOS — but just because she has chosen to roll with the punches doesn’t mean she won’t fight back.

Eloquently capturing the frenetic and nonsensical parts of life within her soaring melodies, this bold singer-songwriter dives headfirst into a five-track analysis of her time on earth thus far in her newest EP, My “Human Experience,” released Oct. 28 via Congrats Records.

While the specific genre of this EP is indistinct, the work itself is a clever mishmash of several sound textures at once, Elke’s avant-garde songwriting prowess shining through every track.

Describing the project as “a soundtrack to these dances I have in my head,” My “Human Experience” communicates the wide range of Elke’s experiences through its diverse soundscape. From the punchy punk-rock opener, “Call of the Void,” to the playful closing track “My Sweetheart,” you can easily pick up all that this singer-songwriter is putting down.

In a world that is just now recovering from being ravaged by a pandemic, Elke desperately searches for answers. And while she does not come across concrete solutions to her problems — instead going “around and around and around” in circles — it does not invalidate any of the soul-searching she has conducted. Reveling in this state of inner contemplation has yielded a deeper understanding of both herself and the world around her — and, admittedly, one solid EP.

So do yourself a favor and indulge in this “delicious, dreamy, and confrontational” body of work intricately curated by Elke. But before you listen, be sure to heed the advice of the maker: “If you’re walking while listening to my EP, walk like a hot ass bitch, ’cause you are.”

Continue reading below to learn more about how My “Human Experience” came to be.

LUNA: How is this fall season treating you?

ELKE: This is such a lovely question. I have spent it being hot and confused. It should not be 70 degrees in NYC in November.

LUNA: Congrats on the release of your latest EP! This project has a really great energy to it as a whole. Can you share some insight as to how your creative process for this project differed from previous projects?

ELKE: Thank you for the sweet words. I’d credit using a baby grand piano to write. It unlocked some of the versions of me that were wanting to be expressed. It was also an unfamiliar instrument that I needed to prove myself to. On top of that, after completing my first tour in April I realized how much I am fascinated by movement and dancing. I had a direction I wanted to take this next batch of songs that would be a soundtrack to these dances I have in my head. I picked five songs that I felt expressed the different versions of me best and would carry me into my next body of work gracefully and chaotically.

LUNA: Share a favorite moment or memory from the making of this EP.

ELKE: Watching Brian Jones play bass. I’d never worked with him before and he is so wildly good at what he does. It’s like Zac [Farro] when he picks up drumsticks. Some people were born with the power, and it’s like watching Superman fly.

LUNA: Which set of lyrics are you the most proud of?

ELKE: “Call Of The Void” — I wrote those lyrics when I was 24. It was centered around me cutting any concept of a god out of my life so I could feel the weight of humanity without any escape from the “reality” of death. I looked at everything I loved, learned, and worked toward and imagined it all ending for eternity, black nothingness. I believed to my core that this was what happens when you die, and it sent shock waves through me daily. It was helpful for me to believe in something at that time, because I’d been instructed by so many other people to be something I was not.

LUNA: There’s a lot of different moods and energies in this one — each track takes you to a different place. What’s the ideal setting for a first listen of the EP?

ELKE: Walking, driving, riding — be in transit with me as I am taking you on a journey. Do me a favor — if you’re walking while listening to my EP, walk like a hot ass bitch, ’cause you are.

LUNA: On the visual end, the “Call Of The Void” video is so so sick. What can you share about the accompanying visuals for the rest of the project?

ELKE: The EP cover is delicious, dreamy, and confrontational — meant to look like the EP sounds. My reference photo for this was an angry dog suspended in motion underwater. The concept of the video was meant to contrast sweetness and chaos. I told Mike Kluge, who did VFX, to make it simply chaotic.

LUNA: What color do you most associate with My “Human Experience”?

ELKE: A diamond, clear water. The absence of a color but the reflection of light it gives.

LUNA: As the year starts to wind down, what intentions do you have for the rest of 2022?

ELKE: Hikes.

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We couldn’t be more stoked to have Suriel Hess as our new headliner for our upcoming LA show 🤩 🫶 Not gonna lie, us & Notorious Noise kinda went OFF with this line up & you’re not gonna wanna miss it - ticket link in bio 🎫