Elle Macho - ! (EP Review)

Usually the musical progression goes “start in band, end up solo act.” It is rarely super effective in reverse. However, much like fellow Nashvillian/former solo artist Thad Cockrell has done fronting LEAGUES, David Mead and Butterfly Boucher have successfully made the jump from “my music” to “our band.” Along with drummer Lindsay Jamieson (Ben Folds), the eclectic trio performs as Elle Macho and their debut album Import is coming out February 5.

Fans of any of Elle Macho’s individual parts will not be surprised by the melodic inventiveness, layered vocals and impressive musicianship showcased in their songwriting. It’s equal parts swagger and sway, with the feminine/masculine dichotomy continually being played with, blurred, fragmented and blended back together. Each Elle Macho song is the sonic equivalent of an iron fist in a velvet glove and their signature brand of powerful noise pop will demand (and reward you handsomely for) your auditory attention.

 Elle Macho is currently offering an amazing 5-song sampler of tracks in advance of Import. It's simply titled ! and I guarantee it’s more than enough to entice you to pick up the full album when it’s released next week. Along with the 4 tasty originals, they’ve also got a phenomenal cover of “Click Click” from The Beat’s 1980 Two Tone classic I Just Can’t Stop It. Maintaining all the danceable bounce and punk aggression of the original, Butterfly deftly handles both the spitfire vocals and the frantic bass line like a champ. (To be fair, David’s razor guitar and Lindsay’s driving drums aren’t exactly child’s play either.) Elle Macho has captured something really fresh and unique with their combined talents and I really hope to be able to catch this energetic trio live in the very near future.