SINGLE REVIEW: Brooke Ellen – ITCH

Last year proved to be quite the ride for singer-songwriter Brooke Ellen. Between her superb ‘Poltergeist’ EP and an impressive spread of live performances, she was marked out as an artist that needed to be watched. Ahead of a supporting slot for the brilliant Paint Me In Colour, the gothic queen has released a brand new single.

What ‘ITCH‘ does is take what is to be expected from Ellen, and morphs it into something wholly unpredictable and unique. The sweeping, haunting orchestral elements that have permeated most of Ellen’s releases are present and accounted for, but now are layered against a magnificently claustrophobic industrial soundscape; booming, glitching electronics intertwine with the theatrical keys and strings to give the whole affair a brilliantly devilish feeling. In an unexpected creative choice, Ellen has eschewed the inclusion of any percussion, and in doing so pushes the track into an incredibly unsettling yet superbly dynamic territory.

Atop of all of this, Ellen remains her usual brilliant self, with vocals that are playfully theatrical without sounding like a parody; the ebb and flow between her haunting soft vocals and strident belted passages is wholly natural, and is delivered with a surprisingly jazzy flair. She exists throughout the track as an individual in competition with herself, torn between an uncomfortable delirium and a painful sanity. It’s a superb performance that plays beautifully with the disconcerting instrumental.

Ellen not only deserves praise for her insistence on being creative, but her capacity to execute these creative ideas. ‘ITCH‘ is the sound of an artist that is unafraid to do the unexpected, and shines incredibly brightly in the process of doing so; you can never be quite certain of what you will hear next from Brooke Ellen, although it is increasingly apparent that whatever you do hear will be magnificent. Artists with any sense should be begging to work with Ellen, whether that’s in a live or studio capacity, because this sort of talent is a rare quality indeed.

For Fans Of: Dirt Poor Robins, Kaizers Orchestra, Creeper, Moth Slut, Fever Ray

Follow the artist on social media below:

Instagram // Spotify