ZELO Blends An Atmospheric Pop with Heart in "ELA"
A brand new single from ZELO pulls together this very immersive soundscape by bringing in elements of spacious and cinematic tonality with a current pop feel, plucking guitars, expansive synthesizers, and this attention to detail that gives the song an extra drive, but most importantly, it's a song with personality.
"ELA" showcases some emotion, which I think is really one of the things you end up holding on to the most.
The track is produced in a way that takes all of those great pop elements and fuses them with other genres, but in a very subtle manner.
The beat, for example, is almost afrobeat. It adds a great groove to the track and displays these different influences that come into play as the song unfolds.
As the beat slowly rises up, you have those guitars plucking along, giving you a lot of hooks and rhythm that bounces firmly between those beats, bringing an element of color, but still keeping true to that sort of atmospheric backbone.
You're meant to fall into this song. You're meant to be swallowed up by it, in a sense, and it works perfectly for that.
The artist comes right in with soulful vocals. They're smooth and definitely blend that R&B tonality into the mix seamlessly. He sings with a lot of heart and can display that emotion with his voice, so it comes through clearly.
I also feel like, because a lot of the song has these reverb effects on it, that the vocals add something different texturally.
The tone of his voice sounds amazing and sort of complements the rest of the instrumentation. The instruments, from the guitars to the synthesizers, even some of the beats, all have that reverb effect, so they feel distanced.
The vocals feel more up close and personal. You're able to pay a lot more attention to the lyrics, and I feel like the way the song was mixed and how the aesthetic was meant to come through is a really important aspect of why it feels the way it does.
The song becomes impactful because of that balance between the instruments and the vocals and between the depth of the song itself instrumentally, and how that voice is right there in front of you.
The song feels like a little bit of a struggle in terms of a relationship with someone and trying to figure out what that person actually wants.
It focuses on someone who is putting distance between them, and you're the person who's wondering why that's happening.
At least, that's how I interpreted the song. Others may take it in a little differently, but for me, I felt like that was what the track was about.
The emotional aspect comes in because that can be a bit of a strain. That kind of situation can be stressful because you're trying to figure the other person out. You want to accommodate their needs, but you don't exactly know why they need that space.
Now, once again, this is just how I took the song. If someone else is into the song, they may pick up on something that I didn't, or perhaps it's the chapter of your life you're in, which helps you interpret a song in certain ways.
Either way, the intensity is there because of the emotional performance and how the lyrics tell a story from a personal perspective.
That beat comes in full swing as the chorus kicks in, and the song becomes very lush. There's a lot of instrumentation happening, backing vocals, and loads of melodic hooks as well.
This is definitely super radio-friendly but also works for the club. Again, this is because there is that ambient underbelly, making it even a little edgy. But it's also got heart and is very personal.
It also boasts a lot of these vocal hooks that stick in your brain for long after the song has ended.
So you can see, ZELO is the kind of songwriter who knows how to build a track that is memorable, catchy, but still kind of serious and very impactful at the same time. I love a song that has a bit fewer boundaries when it comes to branching out and showcasing emotion the way this one does.
He has an amazing voice, and really puts a lot into those performances even on record.
This song was produced with such attention to the little details. There's so much going on in different parts of it in terms of vocals, guitars, keys, and everything else. It just feels like it has a natural flow, but still has that edgy aesthetic at times.
The combination of the emotional, very R&B-style vocals and edgy pop production really makes this song stand out.
I would suggest diving into this one as soon as you can, listening with headphones on, and really getting into it.
Check this one out now and see what it does for you.
ELA - song and lyrics by ZELO | Spotify
