elbowache
INFO/PRESS
Elbowache has graced the airwaves at Drexel's WKDU, Camden County College's WDBK, and Stockton College's WLFR and traipsed the stages of Philadelphia and Brooklyn's more artisanal venues and more terroir-rich basements. Elbowache was also a fixture on the lockdown-era stream Those Brunch Shows, sharing bills with the likes of Milo Aukerman.
Listen to Pre/Mid/Post
Elbowache is the Electro-Indie-Rock act based in Philadelphia formed in 2015 by Tom Donohue. Named for a nagging childhood injury, Elbowache combines electric guitar, synths, and classic drum machines with Donohue's eccentric lyrics and vocal delivery. 2018's "Hey" Ep was a seven track introduction whose title was its purpose- get your attention. 2017's Apocalyptic Spring EP was a 4 track rebuttal of a world gone mad. 2018 brought Zero Fantasy, a full length album filled with sonic experimentation. Elbowache reemerged in 2022 with Pre/Mid/Post. Originally intended as the follow-up EP to Zero Fantasy in 2020, pre/mid/post is Elbowache's pandemic album striking a more sombre tone. Ever playful in its composition and arrangement, these 12 tracks deal with grief, isolation, and uncertainty.
comeherefloyd's take on "JB-3011"
"Wow was what we thought first listening to ELBOWACHE’s ‘JB-3011’. Refreshing, weird, indie-rock and all at the same time having kind of a ‘lesson’ of sorts for us to adhere to – if we’re not too busy. Listen to the keys, then the arrangement of pauses and time changes. Listen then to the guitar riffs – it just is very, very cool. Yes. Coolness is the theme for this single. And we dig it to bits. And best of all? His new LP ‘Zero Fantasy’ has this fab single ‘JB-3011’ in it, with 8 more fab songs. Hooray!"
Trader Bob (Bob Seabury) on "Breakup Song"
"Philly Music!
A breakup is a time of upheaval.
Thursday I went to Century Bar and saw Philly solo outfit "Elbowache" do a good opening up of the evening. Elbowache has several albums on line on Bandcamp, and I've been listening to the work over the past week since the show. There are textured instrumentals and nuanced tales of the human psyche.
A case in point is "Breakup Song", which is the seventh song on Elbowache's 2018 album, "Zero Fantasy". We're jolted right from the beginning with a loud dissonant bass sound, that's then followed by some other parts joining in, but together they're always churning, always bubbling, helping to create a feeling of upheaval. The song structure has some choppiness in it with some unexpected breaks ... except when there aren't. The instrumentals keep the main character in the song as well as the listener off balance.
The character in the song has plenty of mixed emotions; he's happy for the breakup / not happy for the breakup / looks back / wonders what happened / wonders what's happening.
And what upheaval! He wants to talk about it:
all the time
but not all the time
only some of the time
but not all the time "