Your New Ears #2: Ansel Elgort's "Supernova"
This one's a bit shorter. If you still don't wanna read the whole thing, fear not! Highlights are at the bottom.
In 2014, a SoundCloud account appeared under the moniker of Ansølo. The account posted several original EDM-style tracks. That account, and the Ansølo name, belong to CAA/Brookside - repped Ansel Elgort, star of the Divergent series as well as Baby Driver and The Fault in Our Stars. Separate from what I think about the 2010s teen-novel-to-major-film format that The Hunger Games series started and ended, it's hard not to like Ansel Elgort.
A natural singer and piano player, at just 23 years old he's signed to Island Records, headlined multiple major cinematic releases, headlined his own concert on his 21st birthday, participated in the NBA Celebrity All-Star Game, and married his high school sweetheart. For comparison, I am 2 years his junior and have yet to have my rap career take off, have headlined NYU student films, have my own blog (as of yesterday), have participated in YMCA pickup games, and am currently dating a girl I met less than 6 months ago.
All obvious career parallels aside, Elgort as a musician has shown EDM influences even after moving away from full-blown EDM productions like "You Can Count on Me (feat. Logic)" and "Home Alone." His first release of 2018, "Supernova," shows Elgort moving more towards the hot trend of trappy-maybe-RnB-maybe-not music.
The song's main instrumental melody floats through on a spacey marimba, punctuated by trappy 808 percussion that is just so hot right now. You know what that means: hi-hat trills, deep kicks, and clappy snares. Oh and don't eVER FORGET THE SUB BASS.
What the beat brings in unoriginality however Elgort makes up with a catchy hook and a flute solo as the bridge. This song really made me realize how much I want woodwind instruments to make a stronger presence in trap production in 2018. That flute is at the same time hilariously out of place and yet damn impressive.
Elgort takes the time on the song to speak about a girl he met in California who broke his heart by being in love with another guy, as told in Georgia. Simple story. Boy meets girl, someone gets hurt, produce a track responding to those feelings of hurt. Sunrise, sunset.
Elgort really doesn't do anything on this track that hint that he may be in for a major commercial release anytime soon as it follows the format of one-off singles he regularly releases. Even if he were to have a major release, I wouldn't be jumping out of my seat to get my hands on it unless I was promised more of that god forsaken flute. Seriously, the flute was un-ironically my favorite part of the track.
I could definitely see Elgort making moves to find a more focused sound in the future, as his talent is clear. But what I really want to see is a fully acoustic album, held together only by Elgort's vocal capabilities and intimate lyricism. I won't hold my breath.
HIGHLIGHTS
In 2014, a SoundCloud account appeared under the moniker of Ansølo. The account posted several original EDM-style tracks. That account, and the Ansølo name, belong to CAA/Brookside - repped Ansel Elgort, star of the Divergent series as well as Baby Driver and The Fault in Our Stars. Separate from what I think about the 2010s teen-novel-to-major-film format that The Hunger Games series started and ended, it's hard not to like Ansel Elgort.
A natural singer and piano player, at just 23 years old he's signed to Island Records, headlined multiple major cinematic releases, headlined his own concert on his 21st birthday, participated in the NBA Celebrity All-Star Game, and married his high school sweetheart. For comparison, I am 2 years his junior and have yet to have my rap career take off, have headlined NYU student films, have my own blog (as of yesterday), have participated in YMCA pickup games, and am currently dating a girl I met less than 6 months ago.
All obvious career parallels aside, Elgort as a musician has shown EDM influences even after moving away from full-blown EDM productions like "You Can Count on Me (feat. Logic)" and "Home Alone." His first release of 2018, "Supernova," shows Elgort moving more towards the hot trend of trappy-maybe-RnB-maybe-not music.
The song's main instrumental melody floats through on a spacey marimba, punctuated by trappy 808 percussion that is just so hot right now. You know what that means: hi-hat trills, deep kicks, and clappy snares. Oh and don't eVER FORGET THE SUB BASS.
What the beat brings in unoriginality however Elgort makes up with a catchy hook and a flute solo as the bridge. This song really made me realize how much I want woodwind instruments to make a stronger presence in trap production in 2018. That flute is at the same time hilariously out of place and yet damn impressive.
Elgort takes the time on the song to speak about a girl he met in California who broke his heart by being in love with another guy, as told in Georgia. Simple story. Boy meets girl, someone gets hurt, produce a track responding to those feelings of hurt. Sunrise, sunset.
Elgort really doesn't do anything on this track that hint that he may be in for a major commercial release anytime soon as it follows the format of one-off singles he regularly releases. Even if he were to have a major release, I wouldn't be jumping out of my seat to get my hands on it unless I was promised more of that god forsaken flute. Seriously, the flute was un-ironically my favorite part of the track.
I could definitely see Elgort making moves to find a more focused sound in the future, as his talent is clear. But what I really want to see is a fully acoustic album, held together only by Elgort's vocal capabilities and intimate lyricism. I won't hold my breath.
HIGHLIGHTS
- Baby Driver was cool. Divergent... well let's just say Miles Teller dipped for good reason.
- I am better than Ansel Elgort in every way career-wise and it's not even debatable.
- Trap beat, rinse, repeat.
- Flute solo for president. #FluteSølo2020
- Ansel Elgort could realistically explode based on his good looks and potential for sexy acoustic feely music. We'll see if he goes that way any time soon.
BEST CASE: Elgort's acting career continues on its atmospherically upward trend, and his flute solos its way to a white house residency. #FluteSølo2020
WORST CASE: Elgort turns into Christian Slater II (which nowadays even Slater isn't doing too bad for himself) and his simplistic SoundCloud discography is a flash, if not a sexy one, in the pan.
FAVORITE LINE: "I feel like Atlas, I got my back stressed"
FINAL SCORE: 4.25/10
-NF
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