The first taste of Miss Elm's new EP is a bitter one.
The band have recently released 'Bitter Taste', the first single from their upcoming EP 'Hybrid'. Lead vocalist, pianist and ukelele player for Miss Elm, Erin Harrington, describes this single as being a little bit different. “It's a really quirky, poppy, hooky, punchy song. It's got a bit of darkness to it as well as the whole sweet toned, original Miss Elm sound, but I think this new sound that we've produced is really... it's the pinnacle of what we are now, which is a bit of quirk, a bit of Kate Miller-Heidke mixed with Muse, and that's why I think people will love it.”
Miss Elm is certainly not your average band, with different instruments such as the glockenspiel, the synth and the melodica. Erin explains that she wanted to make a different sound that people could be interested in. “When I was forming the band I didn't just want to be a run of the mill formula band, I wanted to be a band that people would be interested to see play, and therefore have interesting things on stage to look at.
"Weird combinations of ukulele and melodica and flute is not something you get every day, so I just wanted to be a little bit different, and I think it kind of sets us apart to have that fresh, original vibe.”
While Erin enjoys playing her instruments, singing connects with her on a deeper level. “I feel the most connected to my music when I'm singing, 'cause it's really coming from my inner-depths of my soul, to sound cliche. But I really do sing from the heart when I'm performing, so probably singing because it comes naturally.”
After the release of 'Hybrid' the band will take a break from studio time and embark on a tour of Australia's east coast. “Recording is such a process but it just feels so amazing to nail a take in the studio and know that you've done a great job, and be able to listen back to it and get really good feedback from your producer.
"But there's no buzz like performing and getting an awesome reaction from your audience, and getting an amazing applause, and just having new people you've never seen before come and listen to your music and be like 'wow that was amazing' ... You get a little bit of nerves performing as well, so that keeps me on my toes.”
But no matter how alert you are on stage, there is always room for silly mistakes. “On my keyboard there is this button that is kind of like the cheesy percussion button,” Erin tells us.
“And occasionally when I'm really bashing away at the keys in the middle of a song, I'll knock it, and it'll just come out with this sound in the middle of the song that'll just be totally out of context. And the thing is, I'll be so in the moment I won't even realise it is, so usually Lucy has to come over and press the button to turn it off."
On top of the Miss Elm performances, Erin and Lucy (flute, synth, backing vocals and melodica) have also been performing stripped-back versions of Miss Elm music as a duo, which they will incorporate into the east-coast tour. “We're actually doing that as part of our tour as well; we're playing in Adelaide and Sydney as the duo. But we're just working on new material, and we've got this new EP coming back after the single, and I think it's going to go really well.”
The release date for 'Hybrid' also happens to be Erin's birthday: “Probably partying," declares Erin. "I'm going to have a listening party, I think, for my EP.” 'Hybrid' will be available on iTunes and Bandcamp from September 19.
Written by Darcy Stephens
Miss Elm Tour Dates
Thu 2nd Oct - New Globe Theatre (Brisbane)Thu 9th Oct - Petersham Bowls Club (Sydney)
Sun 11th Oct - The Exeter Hotel (Adelaide)
Sat 25th Oct - Currumbin Creek Tavern (Gold Coast)
