Washington, D.C.-based singer-songwriter Elle Mitchell drops her debut EP, The End of My Beginning, exploring her coming-of-age-experience.
Talking about the title track, Elle shares, “I wanted to capture the feeling of reckoning with the existential questions of who and what you’re meant to be, without having a clue as to what that is. The chorus of the song ends with a powerful declaration and paradox, ‘All I see is certainty in the unknown,’ exploring the conflicting nature that comes with the fear of the future. It goes to show that no matter how much we plan and learn and dream, we will never have it all figured out. Ultimately, the future is not ours to predict; it’s in our hands to create. To me, this is part of the beauty of being young: having your whole life ahead of you to discover who you are and who you’re meant to be.”
Self-described as a “curator of visceral memories and reviver of forgotten dreams,” Elle’s music reflects emotional vulnerability and authenticity.
Encompassing five tracks, the EP begins with “The Great Unknown,” opening on emerging tones flowing into a cashmere, dreamy tune topped by Elle’s lush, evocative voice, at once translucently crystalline and potent. A deliciously undulating rhythm imbues the song with lustrous, gleaming leitmotifs.
Entry points include “Reverie” riding a low-slung, gently tender piano as Elle’s gliding tones, soft and opulent, infuse the lyrics with warm colors. The feel and motion of the harmonics project the sumptuous floating gesture of mist atop a serene breeze.
The title track travels on sparkling guitars riding a mid-tempo rhythm, while Elle’s vocals take on bright vibrancy. The final track, “Hold On to Neverland,” a personal favorite, features a glittering piano conveying hints of wistful melancholy as Elle’s tender voice imbues the lyrics with a poignant frisson.
Dedicated to the victims of school shootings, “Hold On to Neverland” is gorgeously wrought and touching.
On The End of My Beginning, Elle Mitchell reveals not only her gift for songwriting but her crème de la crème, nuanced voice.
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