ELEPHANT GYM - Underwater LP (Clear & Deep Ocean Blue Galaxy Vinyl)

Label: Topshelf

Elephant Gym builds worlds through a bass-driven, jazz-and-funk-inflected writing style that teems with agile, articulate excitement. While commonly associated with the sub-genre of math-rock, Elephant Gym employs their own unique technical candor, with rhythms and melodies that never cross the line into uncomfortable angularity.

On Underwater, Elephant Gym’s latest release and second full-length, there was no single composer overseeing the record. To the end of unlocking new sounds for themselves, each member took turns leading production and compositional roles during the creation of the album. The result is an expansive cohesion of diverse songs which flow in and out of one another like water. Vocal cameos by international collaborators provide another compelling dimension to the record, emboldening a group usually known for their instrumental compositions.

The band explains that “Underwater is an idea about a kind of private, mysterious space.” It’s a place where one may go to ponder or concentrate, to clear one’s head, or to just blow off some steam in solitude. So, too, is Underwater fundamentally about immersion: immersion in the chaos of feeling, living in the throes of being human-sized in the infinite expanse of existence. Elephant Gym deftly weaves this universal concept into their signature sound without ever pulling you out of your personal space, leaving you to yourself underwater.