Above The Water is the sixth album by Elk City who come from Montclair New Jersey and whose current line-up features vocalist Renee Lobue alongside Ray Ketchem, Kevin March, Sean Eden, Chris Robertson and Richard Balyut and who record at the Magic Door Recording Studios.
The album opens with early single That Someone that for me is not only catchy but also memorable as it leads you nicely into the album. It opens with a repeating guitar figure that breaks out into an Indie pop song full of hope and longing, with a very catchy chorus and some nice changes, this grows on you quite quickly after a few listens, so I'm now singing along having heard the song a few times since the single came out last August.
Someone's Party feels like the regrets for not remembering someone, who remembers you, having met you at a party, but whose party was it, we've all had these conversations, this is wistful like you really want to remember them, while the guitars chime and this gently rolls on and you wonder if you really want to be with another guest list Johnny.
Apology Song says sorry in several ways over a song that has echoes of Julie Covington vocally, as she admits everything she did to you that was out of order. The two guitars play divergent parts as she pulls that gun on you.
Your Time Doesn't Exist has a melancholic ennui at the heart of this song that makes clear she no longer has any time for you over dreamy guitars and shuffling drums arcs of light dapple the sky around you as you sink into the sorrow of the left behind as the title repeats to fade leaving you in no doubt that you will never be the one.
A Family is an acoustic guitar led side of an argument, wondering if the things that split A family apart can ever be healed, or if your better starting a new family, this has a bit of a Laurel Canyon folk feel to it, this probably needs to be heard around a camp fire late at night.
Don't You Wanna Try has a dirty darker sound, like she's suggesting you try the sort of drugs it might be better to stay away from, only the lyrics are about if you want a baby or not, while sounding reminiscent of Mexican Moon era Concrete Blonde as this make or break a relationship conversation unfolds.
The album closes with Floating Above Water that has a dreamy cymbal led intro to a wistful dreamy song to play in that flotation tank as you try to work out how you life moves forwards from this point the song builds to the point where you can no longer remain supine and have to get on with things, as the guitars weave a path through the complex drums and percussion this surges on.
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