Ellery Twining ‘RESULTS’
Ellery Twining is ahead of his time. He foresees a post-pop era before the genre is even defined, but here and now, RESULTS convinces you that a new aesthetic is the inevitable. Before, the post pop genre hasn’t had an artist who can truly define the genre, at least not until Twining entered the scene.
Twining has something very special to share with RESULTS. Following his acclaimed debut release, the sophomore album further pushes the experimentation of form and texture. To answer the question what post-pop is, you need to first listen to his album. The album sees a translucent form of childhood nostalgia combined with a cynical look at past generations in reflection with modernity, pop, and pop culture.
The influences of RESULTS, or more accurately, its rising aesthetic is also echoed throughout different forms of contemporary art. In literature, there’s a rising of non-linear storytelling and expressiveness, which focus on individual artistry and creativity and sees narratives bend the rules of genres. RESULTS share the same thread of individuality, liberation, and expressiveness. Twining’s non-fiction, personalized narrative is entered through a fluid-like deformation of pop and folk lyricism and carried out by the heart of a poet.
RESULTS in a way reminds you of glam rock, avant-garde, and punk, of which forms all share the confrontation and seeking of a more conclusive expression as new movements and changes are emerging across the globe. We are too at a change of time, and RESULTS articulates these lost and undefined feelings. Its form might still be viewed as edgy by many, but it’s well-supported by the change of narratives that are happening in the world. RESULTS doesn’t lack universal appeal. It’s more than ever resonating and needed to be heard.
Punk Head: I love how your experiments in post-pop soundscapes relate to socially aware themes. Can you tell us more about RESULTS and how this project came to be?
Ellery Twining: Thank you! When I was a kid starting out in my first rock band, I realized that the music of the Sixties, that was a thread of the influence on us at the time, could not be understood simply by listening. There had to be a story behind “For What it’s Worth?” I thought to myself. And when I started digging, I found out there was a story. The voluminous threads of the Sixties culture led to a re-examination of the music from the 1970’s, which I experienced on AM radio, in my mother’s VW Bug. Every layer revealed another layer, and I began to understand the dynamic of being truthful in music, versus being “successful”. Having said that, I was determined to sign to a record label as a signature of accomplishment during my Rock Band years, and I thought that would equate to success. I was wrong.
RESULTS is evidence that I learned to do both at the same time; the music, and the intent.
PH: Can you talk about any standout tracks on the album and what makes them special to you?
Twining: “CELLAR DOOR” is the best song I have written, I think. Much of that is what Eric Lichter brought to the table during the sessions at Dirt Floor. I only write songs about events in my life that have actually happened. No fiction. I knew all of these kids in the song. It has a certain healing element, but it is also a fingerprint.
PH: How do you stay inspired and motivated to continue pushing boundaries in your art?
Twining: It’s a responsibility, yes?
PH: Who are your biggest influences?
Twining: I read an interesting interview recently with Geddy Lee of Rush, and he was asked about influences on their music. His response was perfect-“Have so many influences no one can distill them.” Cocteau Twins absolutely changed my life. (I suppose I am breaking my own reveal)
PH: What advice would you give to other artists who want to explore experimental art forms?
Twining: The canvas is quite filled out. Find the empty space.
