WEBSITE | FACEBOOK | TWITTER | INSTAGRAM
ELPENTHE – ELPENTHE I
Los Angeles art-pop producer ELPENTHE explores the organic and intimate side of electronic dance in his debut EP, ELPENTHE I. ELPENTHE, aka Elliott Beenk, started in rural Iowa, where at six years old he discovered a promotion on the lid of a Pizza Hut box. After collecting enough tokens, he traded them in for a mix CD that introduced him to the Red Hot Chili Peppers – and he was hooked. He found a love of environmentalism in college that would rival his love of music, leading a solar-powered bike tour with his college band. He earned a master’s degree in Environmental Engineering, then moved to LA where he made connections that led him to working with his hero, Chad Smith (Red Hot Chili Peppers). He has since also collaborated with Lissie, Leo Nocentelli (The Meters), Finish Ticket, Brian West (Maroon 5, U2, Nelly Furtado, K’Naan), and Janelle Monae. ELPENTHE takes its name from the ancient Greek nepenthe, a potion used by the gods to chase away sorrow. On ELPENTHE I, his hypnotic synths and propulsive beats do more than just that.
On the EP’s first two songs, Half Wolf spills their guts to the pulsing beat with quirky tenderness and a fierce honesty. “Mistakes” opens with the sound of a forest and dives into a life on the run. While Half Wolf sings about wanting to leave the party, the production urges them to jump and sway. In “What We Got Away With,” their confessions become a drug, and their vocals a resounding cry. On “Already Know,” Devan Glover sings a rising anthem that comes out of deep sadness unapologetic, embracing the freedom that comes with hitting an emotional rock bottom. Over soothing guitar and trembling synths, the Wild Rivers vocalist resolves her pain with an invincible hook to be shouted in a crowd or whispered on the drive home. “Forbidden” compares the dance floor with the Garden of Eden, and the seductive lyrics of Josh Dean bear a soft fearlessness in the heat of the moment. Finally, “Scar Tissue” synthesizes the EP’s natural themes and its search for connection by draping a shimmering sonic instrumental over the classic chorus. The only song to feature ELPENTHE’s own vocals, he reimagines Anthony Kiedis’ ballad of addiction into a dance at dawn.
On Already Know, Devan Glover sings a rising anthem that comes out of a deep sadness unapologetic. ELPENTHE worked with Glover on the song remotely throughout the pandemic from L.A. and Toronto. He sent her his gentle guitar groove, and the Wild Rivers vocalist sang full of self-loathing, and yet finding herself indestructible. “There’s an invincibility that comes with being aware of your limitations,” says Glover, “and realizing that you’re your own worst enemy.” Over soothing chords and trembling synths, she resolves her own pain with an unyielding hook that could be shouted in a crowd or whispered on the drive home: You can’t say anything about me that I don’t already know. Glover went on about the process and meeting the art pop producer in person. “Elliott and I wrote it remotely over zoom and back-and-forth voice notes during 2021. We met up later that year when I went to LA for a writing trip and became good friends. I can’t wait for him to launch his artist project, and I’m honored to be part of it.”
ELPENTHE is building something new, focusing on bringing people together with the same communal spirit that brought him to environmentalism. He tapped Ben Darwish (Shawn Mendes, BANKS, Mike Posner) to add additional keys on “Mistakes.” He brought in TK Kayembe (Lizzo, Kehlani, Kid LAROI) for additional production on “What We Got Away With.” 2022 Grammy-nominated Kevin Smith (Harry Styles, Phoebe Bridgers, Frank Ocean) mixed the songs, and Stuart Hawkes (Amy Winehouse, Lorde, Charli XCX) mastered the EP. Through its inspired lyricism and mesmerizing production, ELPENTHE I is an experience grounded in a love of connection. The artist project lives up to its name in chasing away today’s worries, with a record to be played on repeat long after tomorrow.