Wistful, soft, and lost in reflection, elkyn’s “found the back of the tv remote” dwells in the intimate depths of loss and longing as the Leeds-based singer/songwriter expands the breadth of his indie folk artistry.
“found the back of the tv remote” – elkyn
Sometimes we lose ourselves in a hazy reverie; it might be for a few minutes, a few hours, or even a few days. Only when we come to and return to the present do we realize the extent of our introspection; in the moment, it’s all a blur. Such is the case for elkyn’s new single, a “lonely folk” song he wrote while wandering through the valley of his own thoughts. Wistful, soft, and lost in reflection, “found the back of the tv remote” dwells in the intimate depths of loss and longing as the Leeds-based singer/songwriter expands the breadth of his indie folk artistry.
Wasted, alone
Found the back of a tv remote
Not faded, but close
Still remember the little jokes
Missin’, I know
Watched back all those videos
Atwood Magazine is proud to be premiering the music and video for “found the back of the tv remote,” out September 22, 2021 via Tambourine Machine Records. The project by York-born artist Joseph Donnelly, elkyn has made a quick name for himself over the past year. Named one of Atwood Magazine’s 2021 Artists to Watch, the artist debuted in 2020 with an EP that continues to sweep listeners off their feet.
In a feature published last year, Atwood Magazine described elkyn’s Beech EP as refined, yet unadulterated – a subtle and understated indie folk record of the times replete with scenes of loneliness and longing, wonder and wandering. “Stripped-down yet so full of life, Beech is an honest outpouring of honesty in one of its most humbling, sincerest forms. elkyn is laid bare in songs that take our breath away through their sheer fragility and gut-wrenching humility – a product of soft singing, soothing finger-picking, dulcet piano work, a willingness to live with imperfections, and more. This music is human.”
Atwood further lauded the artist’s followup single “if only it was alright now” as not only a gorgeous and swift return, but also a “dramatic slow-burning song that once again knocks us off balance, only to steady us anew.” Following the holiday single “Christmas Lights” and February’s standalone “something,” “found the back of the tv remote” and its James Robert Sharp-filmed video arrive at the onset of autumn to sweep all who listen into their own gentle, raw daydreams.
Reckoning with feelings of distance and longing, loss and imbalance, elkyn’s latest finds the artist sounding more self-assured than ever. The hushed tones of his first year’s material are slowly starting to give way to more full-bodied arrangements that add a fresh splash of color, depth, and emotional nuance to the artist’s self-expressions. He shines upon a bed of pulsing drums, tender guitars, and glistening piano chords, singing an impassioned, heart-on-sleeve chorus:
I was close
We were living it
Something caught on
Whyd i have to quit
Now I know
You were everything
Dial it all back
And i’ll fix it
Caught up waitin when
I had then
Had it then
Wasted failin
Dead again
Dead again
“‘found the back of a TV remote’ started from a little video I’d recorded years ago,” Donnelly tells Atwood Magazine. “It was only fifteen seconds tops and I’d played through the chords and sung the first lyrics: “Wasted, alone. Found the back of a TV remote.” I found it as I was writing all the new stuff with Mark, and I was in exactly the same headspace as when I’d first started writing it. So it only felt right to finish it off.”
“I started writing ‘tv remote’ after a break-up which left me not knowing what to do with myself. In the verses I wanted to juxtapose the pretty defeating moments next to the little wins even though they seem pretty small in comparison, like ‘wasted, alone. Found the back of the TV remote.’ The chorus is about thinking that that time in my life was what it should still be like. When I wrote it, it was about a relationship, but the meaning changes for me and I like to think it’s open to anyone’s own interpretation. There’s a lot about regretting pushing the people away that have been good to me running through the song. The last line, ‘saw you, you know. I don’t think this’ll ever go‘ is about the reminder, be it a person or a place or whatever, of that time you thought was perfect.”
Tainted, stoned
Caught the end of that brand new show
Breaking, I know
Thought back to another home
Hating, I’ll fold
Take it up make sure no one knows
Sweetly stirring and achingly poignant, “found the back of the tv remote” is a song born of deep reflection and solitude. Lost in his own haze, elkyn pours himself into a moment of intimate wonder and reverie. By the ending, he hasn’t quite reached catharsis, but he has found closure – and in a situation like this, that’s all you can ask for.
If anything, this song gives artist and listener alike a little more peace of mind. Stay tuned for more from elkyn in the months to come, and stream “found the back of the tv remote” exclusively on Atwood Magazine.
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“found the back of the tv remote” – elkyn
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