When it premiered “The Night Air” last year, Wondering Sound described the Denver band Shady Elders as “the hazy, heavy-lidded beauty of Mazzy Star… cross-wire[d]… with the shady, shadowy balladry of Beach House”. Such is certainly the case for The Night Air EP as a whole, which finds Fox Rodemich’s intoxicating, dusky vocals married to warm and nostalgic guitar parts. Nostalgia is a key operative element in The Night Air‘s title track, the video of which you can stream exclusively below.
The video, shot in black and white but flecked with psychedelic color, is a wistful capturing of a carnival, with ferris wheels and booth games abound. In the hands of an ordinary band, this video would have been a simple case of sentimentalizing; however, when backed with the moody music of Shady Elders, this look into the past takes on an opaque, intriguing light. This air of mystery is a fact both of “The Night Air”‘s video and the music of Shady Elders, a band that is already making a distinct impression with a four-song EP. You may not be able to “figure out” what’s going on in their music, but you won’t soon forget it, either.
Watch “The Night Air” below:
The Night Air EP, released independently by the band, is out now. You can stream and purchase it via Bandcamp below: