Hailing from Los Angeles, Elena C. Lockleis is a rising artist whose music shines with emotional honesty and delicate melodic writing. A singer-songwriter driven by a philosophy of openness and surrender, Elena’s approach to music is guided by a mantra to “honour the song.” It’s a phrase that succinctly captures their entire artistic ethos which allows the music to blossom naturally to reveal its truth in the moment. Through this lens, Elena creates songs that explore love, heartbreak and the intricate terrain of mental health, tackling themes of depression and anxiety with candid lyricism.
Elena’s story as a recording artist began towards the end of 2023 with “Mind – Vs. – Heart,” a debut single that opened an exciting chapter for the artist. A poetic and thoughtful piece that blended dreamy indie pop textures with gentle emotional context, it introduced listeners to their world of reflective storytelling and atmospheric sound design.
Their debut opened the door to a string of collaborations; earlier this year, Elena linked up with Liliia Kysil for “Couldn’t Replenish,” which they followed up with “I Will Cheer With You,” featuring Jessica Ruth Bell. Now Elena beings us their latest release with the new single titled “Faulty Wire,” a landmark release that sees them adding their own vocals to their music for the first time.
Leaning into a spoken-word style and drawing from the aesthetics of alternative hip hop, the track was written in the early hours after a sleepless night spent untangling overwhelming thoughts. Working with an instrumental produced by Sleeplessbeats, Elena penned the lyrics and melody themselves, capturing that fragile, feverish space between exhaustion and lucidity.
Brought in by bold piano chords, the sweep of instrumental texture ushers in bright lead notes as Elena’s voice enters with “never thought I’d record something enough in my voice to release it, but here I am recording something to release it I think to release it cause I’m hurting,” a poignant opening line that sets the emotional tone of the track. With airy string elements, their voice rolls over the snap of percussion as the track glides with slick hip hop groove.
With the aching passion in their voice resulting in a gripping slice of moving alternative hip hop, “Faulty Wire” lays down an engrossing outing sees the artist unveil a new side of their sonic vision. It’s a track that shakes with the cathartic energy of an artist finding their voice, both literally and metaphorically, resulting in a memorable musical moment that’s sure to win over new and existing fans alike. As Elena C. Lockleis continues to share their stellar original material and collaborate with other exciting artists, we can’t wait to see what they’ve got in store next.
Listen to Faulty Wire below
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