REVIEW: Elora Shifts Gears in New Single “Hazard Lights”
IN A LANE ALL BY HERSELF — Brooklyn-based Elora has taken the wheel and veered into a sound that refreshingly departs from the bustling New York indie-pop scene. Her latest single, “Hazard Lights,” tests the ties she can make between ’70s synth pop, jazz, and bedroom pop, while being in full control of a nuanced story of personal growth.
As Elora’s third release, it would be fair to give her the grace of finding a unique sound and perfecting the craft of production, but this ambitious track hits the mark as if she’s been professionally making music for years. Together with her co-producer and creative partner, Theo Walentiny, Elora creates a sonic landscape brimming with joyous remarks of self-actualization and a titillating bassline that builds into an ecstasy-driven final chorus.
Elora’s creative upbringing and formal jazz education materialize in her unique soundscape. She studied vocal jazz and songwriting in college, though she had been writing songs for most of her life. Her most recent work chronicles her experiences with murky love, growing pains, and being socialized as a woman. With relatable subject matter and a stunning sonic landscape, Elora’s production continues to set her apart from the artists emerging out of Brooklyn.
Her creative choices on “Hazard Lights” seem to be a direct result of her deep understanding of music construction and boast a fresh take on the pop structure. Swinging vocal melodies work in tandem with slinking slide guitar, lifting the track further onto a path of rejoice until Elora is as high as can be, soaring above the once-consuming feelings and ending with her voice as the song’s most prominent element.
There is a long stretch of road between recognizing you’re in a rut and recovering. Elora explores this frustrating and fulfilling journey through reflective lyrics. Her cheery inflection juxtaposed with her raw lyrics underscore the complexities of this feeling.
In the first verse, she opens up, exclaiming, “Dying to feel something again / Breaking down I just can’t win.” She spends the song working to regain her sense of self. She later gleams, “Move over, let the breeze in / I’m in the wind,” shifting into a reclamation of happiness.
The track is accompanied by a DIY-fueled music video, breathing even more life into the song. The video feels like a wholesome representation of what it’s like to find your footing again, after a period of being down and wanting to get better. The visuals follow Elora as she fulfills her dream of gliding through life on roller skates. Paralleling the lyrics, she struggles at first, but with time, the right tools, and a confident alter ego, she’s able to soar around the park, embracing the wind.
With more music in the works via Paper Moon Records, Elora is expected to continue exploring the psychedelic sonic universe she’s beginning to build.
