Dream Pop from Elison

Elison is the indie pop duo formed by Marissa Kephart and Scott Yoshima. Hailing from Iowa, Marissa spent 20 years of wishing before finally setting out to make music for the first time when she found herself with more time during lockdown. After finding the courage to finally pick up a guitar and let her creativity run free, she took her first demo called “Meet Me Halfway” to teacher, multi-instrumentalist and producer Scott (The Envy Corps, Canby) last summer who immediately found common ground in their sonic visions and influences.

With an instant creative click they formed Elison, deriving the name from part of Marissa’s maiden name which coincidentally means ‘division’ or ‘separation’ which felt serendipitous considering what the catalyst was to creating music during the pandemic.

Their sound is characterised by washed out immersive synth arrangements, layered airy vocal lines, peppered with intricate guitar touches and driven by drum beats, combining to make their original spacey music. Sitting in the indie rock zone, they add colours of dream pop and shoegaze to add a blissful atmosphere to their style.

Now they bring us their latest work with the new single titled “Little Lies”, following on from the success of their sophomore single “Hopes & Horoscopes” which was featured on over 70 music sites and gained them a top 5 spot on Hype Machine’s most popular songs as well as radio support both sides of the Atlantic.

Offering an ethereal and transportive sound, the new track tells the story of a live burdened by an unspoken truth. Written by Marissa in a School of Song led by Ellen Kempner (Palehound, Bachelor), she crafted the cinematic soundscape which is full of delicate melodies and a sonic tapestry blend of synths. When brought to Scott, he helped sculpt the sound further, bringing in various live instruments to build the sound which confirms Elison as a musical force to keep an eye on.

Listen to Little Lies below

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