The band’s bio states that this year a line-up change for UK alternative rockers Elements has coincided, maybe sparked, a new sound from the band. With their new EP Where We Once Begun our introduction to the Southampton hailing quintet, we cannot say if the shift is dramatic or subtle, but for sure thanks to five tracks of rousing rock ‘n’ roll, their new release shows it has been a potent one.
Formed in later 2013, Elements quickly made a mark locally with their self-titled debut EP and a live presence which has earned them a reputation as one powerful proposition and seen the band share stages with the likes of Bad Rabbits, The Afterparty, DEAD!, Ashestoangels, The Hype Theory, and Public Service Broadcasting. As mentioned the band has recently undergone a personnel change which, taking the Phil Gornell (While She Sleeps, Bring Me The Horizon, Me Vs Hero) produced Where We Once Begun as our evidence, seems to have lit a fire in the creative belly of the five-piece.
Once EP opener Shaman storms through ears, rapidly stirring up enjoyment and appetite, the band without being wholly unique, reveals freshness and adventure to their music which just grabs attention and sets them apart from the masses. Fair comparisons have been raised to bands such as early Biffy Clyro, YouMeAtSix, and Don Broco but there is plenty more rippling through songs suggesting something individual to Elements. The first track aligns winey blues wrapped tendrils of guitar with a flirtatious almost electro shuffle which is not too far away from the persuasion Blondie once blossomed. It blends well, the song brewing a virulent tempting to which the skittish beats of Ash Martin and the dark lures of Max Bakker’s bass add their own potent seduction. Vocalist Graham Rogers is just as vibrant and inviting, his powerful tones backed well by those of Bakker and guitarist Ollie Butler who alongside fellow string craftsmen Robin Small spins a web of hooks and melodic spicery to match. It is a contagious riot of sound and energy, and a quite irresistible start to the release.
High Time For Being Free comes next, emerging without a breath from its predecessor with its own brand of sinewy riffs and heavily coaxing grooves ridden by the vocal roar of Rogers. As the first track, it leaps on and bounces through ears with an infectiousness which is muscular and tenaciously anthemic, whilst showing a different shade of colour to the band’s sound. Major surprises, as across the EP, are not open bait yet there is again that fresh air and rich enterprise to it which only lures you in deeper before Plotting Treason Or Saving The World uncages its own chest beating anthem littered with blues honed grooves, merciless hooks, and a sultry air which dynamically ignites in a blaze of the chorus.
Up next is the melodic shimmer and emotive energy of Make It Out Alive which takes release and listener into another new landscape of sound and adventure. Again the imposing strength and sonic muscle of the band is a heady proposal but employed in a new strain of sonic fire and provocative drama. The track does take a little longer to grip but leaves a flavoursome and inventive taste in the mouth before Torchlight brings the EP to a fine close with captivating and aggressive melodies courted by tangy grooves and flaming vocals.
Where We Once Begun is not going to set the alternative rock world back on its heels but it does announce Elements as one of its more exciting emerging bands, so much so that already there is a tingle of anticipation for their future something akin to that felt when Jimmy Eat World first broke.
The Where We Once Begun EP is available from August 17th through all stores.
RingMaster 17/08/2015
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