E.L.W.12 releases new LP ‘Unfiltered’

Hailing from Markkleeberg in Germany, a small town not far from Leipzig, comes an artist who prefers subtlety over spectacle, and feeling over flash. Known simply as E.L.W.12, this producer crafts electronic music that lives in that delicate balance between warmth and tension, where flowing synths, measured basslines and cinematic textures drift slowly, revealing emotional spheres that feel at once intimate and widely engaging.

E.L.W.12’s creative expression is an exercise in leaving space for emotion to bloom; his tracks are all about slowing down, listening and rediscovering what exists in the quiet moments. It’s electronic music that breathes, melodies that hang in the air just long enough to remind you of something half-forgotten, crafting a a soft energy that makes even his most minimal arrangements feel truly alluring.

After years of personal reflection, he took the leap to share his music publicly, stepping into the world as a solo artist with an original vision. Taking cues from synth pop pioneers like Erasure and Depeche Mode, his work channels a similar melodic impact and emotional context. But where those bands leaned into grandeur, E.L.W.12 strips things back, letting melody and mood speak louder than excess, it’s elegant, minimal and profoundly personal.

That personal connection runs through everything he creates, with each track forming as an attempt to translate experience into sound, moments of courage and doubt rendered through shifting layers of synths and spacious production. Stepping out as E.L.W.12 in September last year, they unveiled their highly original sound with the debut single “Sticks and Stones,” which they’ve since followed up with multiple well-received releases.

Now, hitting the ground running in 2026, E.L.W.12 brings us their brand new full-length record titled Unfiltered. The seventeen-track album kicks off with “No Rewind,” a punchy electronic pop jam that flows with crisp beats, stacks of engrossing synths and stunning female vocal leads carrying infectious melodic leads throughout.

“I Don’t Owe You Pretty” lands with the buzz of stuttering synth textures and pattering percussion capped by brooding vocal lines to cast a moody dance pop outing brimming with memorable hooks and driving energy. “Next Gear” brings a grooving vibe of clapping percussion and pulsing synth bass lines as sultry vocals sweep above and intricate flickers of plucked strings and elegant piano elements add flashes of delicate melodies to the hypnotic rhythm.

Other highlights on the record include songs like “More Than Enough” with its atmospheric soundscape casting a spellbinding backdrop for the emotive vocals to deliver dazzling lines. The title track “Unfiltered” captures E.L.W.12’s creativity with a mellow pop outing cut with indie R&B vibes and smooth rhythmic flow. Tracks like “Lowkey Obsessed” crafts a smokey aesthetic punctured by stabbing instrumentation and slick beats as commanding vocals roll above to forge a gripping electronic pop anthem that shakes with danceable energy from start to finish.

“I Rise Above” drifts into focus with graceful guitar plucks before hushed vocal lines float in to spin intricate and moving melodies as the arrangement builds up to form an engaging musical voyage full of twists and turns. Closing the album with “Hold the Line,” the playful flutter of bright synth lines is met by the bouncy of uptempo drums to serve up a catchy finale to conclude the album in sensational fashion.

Listen to Unfiltered below