Proper Folk Music
Elena Dakota, hailing from the remote Western Australian town of Derby, has released a new EP featuring some seriously good muso collaborators and gorgeously crafted songwriting.
The three tracks are a masterclass in nuanced bedroom folk. Opener Shapeshifting is both intimate and expansive at once, with Dakota’s main vocals backed by harmonies full of reverb. She pours her heart out in the chorus, singing “oh what a thing to love you / shapeshifting through these years”, and then yearns further in the verse: “I had a dream and it woke me / the need to tell you I care, I care, okay.” You can hear the room she’s recording in.
Concrete ups the tempo a little with lead guitar that could have come straight from an early Leonard Cohen record. It’s loose but swings beautifully as she sings about flip flops slapping on the concrete. The mandolin and banjo backing, by Jason Snook and Jack Davies respectively, livens the tune up and it really feels like walking.
The excellently named daylight pours itself (bright like orange juice) lets us know Dakota is no fluke. The vocal harmonies are rich, while the lyrics are quietly mournful. It could be the most radio-friendly song and wouldn’t be out of place next to songs from Laura Marling and other folk pop mainstays.
The tracks are bookended with sounds of recording, giving the EP an intimate feel. Meanwhile the production and layering really elevates this record into a class of its own. Dakota appears prolific in her songwriting and has more music coming. We can’t wait and recommend others jump on board. With songs like these, it’s hard to see her music not reaching a wider audience.
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