EXCLUSIVE: Interview with The Elwins

If you are a fan of 70s music, you will love The Elwins, an indie rock band. Their newest track, “Take Me All The Way”  infuses a modern melody with retro-inspired guitar riffs. 

ECHO chatted with the band about their new single, record label, creative music video, and forthcoming record.

What did the writing process look like for your new single, “Take Me All The Way”?

It was a pretty straight forward one. I started with the chords, melody and the lyrics for the chorus. Sometimes you labour over it and sometimes it comes easy. This one seemed to have had a map or something and it felt like I was just following directions. 

You released the single on your own record label, Pink Eye Records. What was it like to produce and release it independently?

It’s been pretty sick. It’s nice to be closer to the process and feel the responsibility of making things happen. 

If you could set fans up in the perfect environment to listen to “Take Me All The Way,” what do you imagine it looking like?

I’d recommend crocs for sure. I’ve been wearing crocs non-stop during the pandemic and loving it #crocnation. Once you’ve slipped on your crocs find a full sized mirror to admire yourself and air guitar along. 

How did you come up with the concept for the music video?

The music video was the brain child of Wyatt Clough, the director. We wanted to have a strong theme through everything we are putting out there and his idea worked perfectly. We’ve been working with Wyatt a lot lately. It’s nice when you get into a rhythm and understanding with someone. It was also pretty effortless. What a cool guy and what a cool earth we live on. 

What was the filming process like for the video? 

We were in this neat studio in Toronto with a giant black seamless backdrop. We had basically one (or two?) light sources to create that shadowy look. We each filmed our parts separately and then did the group shots. Travis’ drum parts were filmed with a dolly on a curved track that curved around the drum kit. That was my fave part to watch. There were lots of nice snacks and people. We met our new bff, Ray. She did our makeup. She’s really cool, you’d like her. 

For people who aren’t familiar with your sound, how would you describe it?

It’s more raw and organic in nature this time around. I’d say it’s nostalgic alt rock?

Your sound has a very 70s vibe. Who are some of the artists from that era that inspire you? 

The Beatles are our life blood. There’s a running joke that Feurd [guitarist/ keyboardist] hates the Beatles. I don’t think it’s true though (lol). I also love The Kinks. 

What can fans expect from your upcoming album?

They can expect to be taken on a vibey journey with ups and downs. I feel like this record has the most amount of sad or depressing songs but they slap hard so…that’s nice. We also explore some new creative spaces and revisit some of the old faves. 

What is a quote that you’ve heard and/or you go by that you want to ECHO out to the world?

Focus on what you’re uniquely good at. 

Check out more from The Elwin’s here.

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