Ellur - “Now I’m Alone”

21-year-old Halifax artist Ellur was pitched to us as having “an enthralling and ethereal ballad exploring the daunting pressures of approaching adulthood.” And, based on that, we could not wait to press play.

Ellur’s latest track, “Now I’m Alone,” has us completely convinced that she is one to watch. The majority of the song bears a lone piano as the only obvious accompaniment to the vocals, leaving Ellur with absolutely nowhere to hide. And she’s probably good with that since she has nothing TO hide. There is no pitch correction or audible processing here and her vocal is so freaking raw that you can hear every inflection of her performance, at times barely more than a whisper. And it is (chef’s kiss) perfect. You feel every single word that she sings and “Now I’m Alone” is a reminder to all music lovers of why stripped down and sparse recordings will forever have a place in this world.

Around three minutes into this thing, Ellur takes a risk that not many songwriters have the courage to take. Instead of letting the crescendo fully engulf the track, she removes all of its power over her, shining a spotlight onto her bare voice, yet not wavering or caving, then letting the music fall softly back into its place, as though it is the tide and she is the moon. You will be hard-pressed to find another track that does this for you.

And if you still want more after having a listen, you do not want to miss this live performance, because holy sh*t:

-TM