EP Review :: Elefantasy - Waiting For Nothing

Elefantasy

Waiting For Nothing (self-released)

July 24 2015

7/10

Words: Dave Beech

It may have been a year since their last release, but that doesn't mean to say that Essex-based Elefantasy have spent the last 12 months idle. Between leaving school (yes, really), doubling their numbers (they were initially a two-piece) and streamlining (if only marginally) their earlier somewhat disparate sound, it's been a busy year for the band, culminating in the release of their second EP 'Waiting For Nothing'.

What better way to kick off an EP released in July than with a song about summer? 'Sex Tricks' fizzes and pops with an indie-pop sugaryness that belies the overall feel of what's to follow. Not dissimilar to Bristolians The Jacques, in that there's an inherent indie-oik confidence about the track,something that, though it might not be completely indicative of the record as a whole, kicks things off perfectly.

Third track 'Love Letter' takes a different route however; lo-fi bass and an almost spoken vocal delivery reminiscent of Sleaford Mods makes for distinctly angular, grungey verses, something which works excellently when paired with choruses that burst with a similar pop energy to that of the opener. This dichotomy of polished pop hiding a darker side, interestingly enough, seems to reflect the EP as a whole – something which comes to a head in the final track(s).

I say track(s), because though they're numbers four and five respectively, the appropriately named 'Prequel' and the track proper 'Yawn' function much like a single track; 'Prequel' is 30 seconds of instrumental harmonies, dream-like and hazy, an intro cut suddenly short by the discordant organ opening of the lightly psychedelic 'Yawn'. At seven minutes, it's the longest track on offer and something the band had always planned as the EP's crowning point. For the most part it works, though the middle of the track does have a tendency to linger a little longer than needed. We can forgive them for that though, thanks to the suitably '60s outro that rewards listeners with a cathartic release following the first five minutes.

It's not perfect, but this is a fledgling band taking their first real steps in to the big, bad industry For that alone they can be commended, but perhaps more to the point, 'Waiting For Nothing' makes good on the promise of their earlier EP, and at the same time makes it almost certain that whatever follows this, will be even better.