‘MORTAL’ is the new EP from Bristol based artist Ella Paine. It follows on from her debut album ‘Hinge’ released on NoCorner (2019) which received critical acclaim from the likes of The Quietus (“warm, inscrutable intimacy that's also creepy and unnerving”) and Boomkat (“The music feels fresh, operating in its own liminal temporality, rather than being cloyed by cliché”) among others. In 2019, Boiler Room’s documentary 'Keep Bristol Weird' starred E B U as one of the key acts defining Bristol’s current music scene alongside other artists Hodge, Giant Swan, Young Echo and more.
Since then, she has had a series of new tracks featured on various compilation albums including Accidental Records, Illegal Data and Noods. This new body of work sees her unique aural sensibilities incorporate a more software driven contemporary club sound, whilst maintaining a playful approach to song writing.
Throughout this EP, Paine invites the listener to voyage through her sonic storytelling and surrender to the experience of letting go. Celestial soundwaves soothe you but her sonorous clatters will bring you quickly back to earth. With every twist she keeps you wrapped in the feeling of the moment.
In her own words, Paine articulates the drive behind ‘MORTAL’…
E B U is the alien in me. She is the outsider, the loner, the observer. She doesn’t fit in, but she can’t help watching what the others do. Seeking to understand the world around her, she looks for answers for what it is to be human; a curiosity that is both naïve and determined. Always seeking truth, nothing is taken for granted, everything is up for inquiry. From personal to social discoveries, she traverses through the depths of the psyche and reflects her findings back to the audience however dark or joyful they are. Her emotional intensity is a study of human behaviour and an imitation of life as she experiences it.
this album truly feels like its cover. It defines an entire genre, and does so beautifully. One of my all-time favourite albums, and greatest inspirations. dimpassagefan
Delightfully manic dance music from British producer Patrick Tipler where worked-up rhythms collide with high-intensity synths. Bandcamp New & Notable Sep 4, 2021
All proceeds from this album of richly textured, politically charged electronic music will benefit Ireland’s Community Action Tenants Union. Bandcamp New & Notable Mar 13, 2021