Ellis - “Something Blue”

SXSW 2020 - OEB Score: 7; Popularity Index: 7

Pairs Well With…Helena Deland, My Bloody Valentine, Swearin’

Ellis released one follow-up single in 2019 and “Something Blue” is amongst the quieter tracks in her fuzzy catalog, a dreamy pop song played with melancholic distance. It’s a nice indicator for an expected 2020 release that should evolve Ellis’s emotive soundscapes while hiding tender pop songs underneath the fog. (Kevin McStravick)

2019 Review: Ellis is like a pop star studied on post rock. Across her debut EP The Fuzz, Ellis creates subtly epic numbers that envelop instead of following any prescribed straight path. “All This Time” starts as minimal electronic R&B, but over four minutes stretches into what closer resembles noise rock. The result is powerful, allowing a journey of triumph through remorse. This minimal/maximal contrast plays consistently throughout. Opener “The Drain” emotes as much through instrumentation as it does through Ellis’ understated, blended vocal. Heaviness and confidence battle internally and play out to lush, dense results across the Canadian artist’s ambitious debut.