ELROY | ELROY | GRAND PHONY RECORDS | AUG. 13TH, 2021
Bio:
After years of touring and collaborating as a drummer and multi-instrumentalist in various groups (Wild Nothing, Connan Mockasin), as well as with his family (extensive worldwide touring with his brother, Liam Finn and as part of Crowded House with his father, Neil Finn), Elroy Finn (going simply by Elroy) will release his debut self-titled album on Aug. 13th, 2021.
A talented multi-instrumentalist – “I was obviously surrounded by instruments a lot growing up thanks to my Dad, so I was very fortunate in that way,” he says – Elroy was written, produced, recorded, and mixed by Elroy himself.
A brief self-release of the record in his native New Zealand earned attention right away for the hazy, coaxing sound that Elroy says he hopes will “evoke the weightless feeling you get just before you fall asleep.”
It does.
New Zealand’s national newspaper Sunday Star Times describes the album as “acquiring layers of sounds and textures and falsetto vocal harmonies” that “gradually transforms into a sturdy wee slab of lo-fi psychedelia.”
The paper goes on to highlight the upcoming single “Worth The Wait,” describing Elroy’s performance as “a tentative romantic assessing a new relationship, his voice sweet and airy, like a Brazilian bossa nova singer parachuted into the middle of an indie pop song.”
Elroy says the tune is only a “non-specific, ambiguous love song,” which feels like he is speaking from a place of humility that could only be developed by growing up surrounded by legendary songwriting talent.
The tune is actually a fine example of Elroy’s ability throughout the album to hit that sweet spot where the songs are “gentle and catchy,” but “deceptively difficult to write,” as noted in the Sunday Star-Times.
Similarly, New Zealand’s Listener Magazine, calling the record “bold and assured,” recognizes Elroy’s modesty, saying he “has done well to avoid the pitfalls of emulation or rebellion.” With this record, he takes “the tropes of the catchy, melodic music he was raised around and deliberately drapes them in a shimmering, beguiling gauze.”
In regard to his lyrics, Elroy is equally humble.
“As far as lyrics go, I tend not to over explain meanings as I think it’s really important for people to mis-hear and interpret them however they want,” he explains, adding slyly, “It’s also better, because it means I don’t have to admit if the song isn’t really about anything.”
Perhaps this notion is just Elroy’s humility shining through yet again, or maybe it is a defining characteristic of the deceptive simplicity of his music.
Elroy arrives Aug. 13th, 2021 on the Grand Phony label, preceded by the singles “Excite Me Much,” “Life Is At Home,” and “Worth The Wait.”