Hailing from Bedfordshire, Elijah Miller returns again with ‘Soft’, a bedroom-pop laced track that explores the fragility of the human condition and reassures listeners that it’s okay to feel that emotion.
Having released ‘The Sugar Rush EP’ in Summer 2020, ‘Soft’ embodies the same raw anecdotes of the EP but through the soundscape of a witty and anthemic track.
Lyrically, ‘Soft’ is complex yet comforting – it is a sound from the indie-pop singer-songwriter that we instantly recognise and that has already stuck with us. Elijah Miller refers to the state of being ‘indie boy miserable’, and the financial toll of living in the big city.
But on a deeper level, the track cleverly explores the idea of being fragile. Both through questioning and accepting that emotion, Elijah Miller offers up a deeper connection between the listener and his hazy yet illuminating sound.
Having been one of our ‘Ones to Watch 2020’, I sat down with Elijah following the release of ‘Soft’ to catch up on what the release has meant to him and what the future holds.
Firstly, it’s been a while! It’s been an absolutely mad year, how are you and how has multiple lockdowns been for you creatively?
I’m doing well actually! Considering the year we’ve all had… I’m excited to be releasing new music and equally terrified to see what everyone thinks (as always).
I think lockdown has definitely helped me develop my songwriting and production skills for sure, it’s been awful for my head and life in general but at least we seem to be slowly coming the other side, touch wood!
Glad to hear it’s been somewhat productive! How are you feeling about getting some music out? The last EP out in July was a big success so you must be quite excited to get some stuff out there?
Absolutely terrified mate! I mean this track is my favourite I’ve written so far, but I think that’s what makes it more daunting.
I think people will love it – don’t get me wrong it’s super summery and feel-good but lyrically it’s definitely the opposite.
Are there artists out there you’re really liking at the moment or that have really been inspiring your music?
Little Comets has always been a big one for me, not only their crazy soundscapes but lyrically they always manage to create these extremely vulnerable and often dark stories that sit on top of a positive indie anthem, I just love that juxtaposition.
ICM remembers this as a bit of a fan-favourite at a show in early 2020, what made you sit on this song and come back to release this song over a year later?
Well I always like to try hold back songs for a few years, they have to stand the test of time for me and if I don’t like it after a year or two I won’t release it.
Often I’ll forget about tracks for a while and come back to it after a year and realise that they perfectly describe the headspace I’m in. This one was a big stepping stone for me in my life in just being honest and vulnerable with myself and others.
Musically, it kind of feels like you’re steering towards this kind of upbeat, almost spoken-word narrative sound like we’ve heard in ‘Paris’, ‘Alfred Benson’ and ‘IDONTLIKETHECOLD’ rather than the more stripped back acoustic stuff of ‘The Garden’ and ‘The Sugar Rush EP’.
Do you think you’ll stick with this sound you’ve carved out for yourself now or mix things up in the next release?
I have never particularly considered my genre or writing style, I think whatever I feel like writing at the time is what I’ll tend to write, although for my live sets I definitely prefer the more up-tempo tracks.
It’s definitely a sound that I’m really enjoying at the moment so I think it’s definitely a sound i’ll stick with for now and I think there’s elements you will definitely recognise in my next few releases.
To us, it kind of feels like the song is an ode to feeling a bit fragile and to have these overwhelming feelings but not really having the environment to process them in the right way. Do you think the mental health, of particularly men, within the music industry is something that needs to be talked about a bit more?
You’re definitely not wrong. I think this is the most open I have been about my own mental health in a song and I’ve actually found it really cathartic in a way.
Sharing stuff like this and speaking about mental health is super important. It’s no secret that men are often rubbish at talking about their emotions and I definitely don’t think that’s something exclusive to the music industry, it’s something we all need to get better at collectively.
How are you feeling about the roadmap out of lockdown and towards gigs and festivals again? Are you ready to get out there and perform again?
I’m buzzing mate. I honestly can’t wait! We’ve obviously had so much planned and cancelled this year and it doesn’t quite feel real but I’m optimistic that this time we really will be back.
I’ve recently signed with Marshall Live and we’ve got some really exciting things planned that we’ll be announcing soon. The thing that I love most about doing what I do is definitely the live shows, that’s what I’ve missed most this year. So, I can’t wait to play in some cities I’ve never played in and to fans that have never been able to see me.
What’s next for you? Any more music on the horizon?
Yeah the one great thing about last year was I had so much time to write so there will be plenty more where this came from.
Well, we certainly are excited to see what the future holds and what’s next for Elijah Miller. You can listen to ‘Soft’ below, you won’t regret it.
