Alchemizing shit into sustenance, Elliott crafts intimate, entrancing songs under the alias of a private, prickly mushroom that survives by the same creed. Born the only child of a landscape painter and Jungian analyst, Elliott was pre-destined to suffer from an aching yearning to be a tree, insatiable curiosity about humanity, and insomnia-inducing creative obsession. Each of these traits is noticeably present in her 2020 EP Dissolve and 2021 LP Votives. Wrapping earnest crooned reflections in a warm glow of verdant electronic arrangements and atmospheric field recordings, they “blur the line between the personal and the natural world, conjuring a vivid and sometimes eerie soundscape as damp and rich as the woodland floor” (Various Small Flames).
Triptych, Elliott’s next EP series, gets darker. Described as “goth ethereal mycelial”, it descends into the shadow realm, eclipsing innocence with explorations of embodiment, eroticism, and envy. Without compromising on the organic or enigmatic, its production embraces a minimalist physicality, newly unafraid of rawness and repetition. Lyrically, it’s more profane and absurd than anything Elliott has dared to release prior, yet almost ironically it’s the first collection of songs she has performed on stage since their conception, having finally begun playing live shows in 2023. Spanning stages across the US, this exercise in creative embodiment has shifted the nature of what Elliott is attracted to singing and creating. Writing has become less about the purging of despair and more about the exploration and empowerment of alter ego and taboo.
Triptych I: Devolve is the first installment in this new series - a visceral villain’s arc, tracing her devolution from possession to obsession to dissolution. Repurposing the narrative three-panel structure of religious iconography, the EP paints her fall from grace, hunger for vengeance, and embrace of newfound darkness, encouraging listeners to unravel in unison.
"Moves from resentment to something closer to power with the realisation that the ability to haunt can represent its own form of control" - Various Small Flames
The debut full length album from Old Man of the Woods. Flickering between devotion and resentment, affection and isolation, faith and doubt, Votives forms a sonic labyrinth guided by a dream that our minds are little churches filled with votives burning for everyone we’ve loved. The first three tracks construct a triptych - beginning with ‘Garden’, an ambient hum evolving with repetition from a hesitant fascination to an unwavering trust, where the candle is lit; moving to ‘Let Me Miss You’, a ukulele-strummed post-breakup plea that begs to feel nostalgic instead of hurt, where it still burns for a memory; then to ‘Votives’, a danceable bass-driven reminder to let go of the memories that only weigh us down, where we blow it out. As the album progresses, these themes repeat, morph, and steep. We grieve our lost loves and lost selves, slowly growing stronger and more assured, with honest moments of weakness along the way. Written from 2018 to 2021, Votives is a journey through what it means to love and be human and make mistakes and keep going. Wrapped in a warm fog of dreamy harmonies and swirling synths, it reminds us that love is magic, release is vital, and movement is forever.
"One second the record feels engulfed in a deep nebulous fog of doubt, the next it is a sunbeam breaking through, shining a light on what is it to be human, in love, out of love and very much willing to learn how to cope with both" - For the Rabbits
"A myriad of musical ideas, beautifully married together, Votives is an album of rare experimentation and a comforting place to ponder the disorientation of life" - Secret Meeting
"Down-tempo pop splendour that slowly unfurls with repeated listens" - Sun-13
"Develops the style introduced on Dissolve, pushing beyond the natural world and into that of dreams, thereby inviting us further into Elliott's distinctive imagination" - Various Small Flames
"Atmospheric textures and rich soundscapes that mimic natural settings and phenomena" - Look at My Records
"Pop history, and especially its more electronic side, is very much Elliott's playground, and she conjures up the most diverse influences to create her sound collages" - Slim Chance
"Synth pop on the surface, but...delicately woven ballads, meant to be shared in secret" - Austin Town Hall
"As intimate as they are hidden" - Slumber Mag
"An inviting live wire that exudes cool and charm" - The Autumn Roses
"A wild world" - Closed Captioned
"The last mile of the trek. The train slows down behind the rain. Watch as the entire countryside unfolds like a blanket and you try to smile." - Small Albums
Still curious?
"Blurs the line between the personal and the natural world, conjuring a vivid and sometimes eerie soundscape as damp and rich as the woodland floor" - Various Small Flames
"Takes listeners through the thick shrouds of an aural forest with comforting, soft sounds that flow from her raw, delicate vocal delivery" - Look At My Records