Brooklyn based indie pop/rock band Elizabeth & the Catapult have announced their fourth record Keepsake to be released October 20 via Compass Records. The lyrics within the album are formed from a dream journal that frontwoman Elizabeth Ziman used whenever she had a lucid dream.
“I feel as though my life is a fluctuating state of expectation, hope and regret,” she says. “I mythologize both the past and the future and writing memories or dreams in a diary helps me remember, but also gives me even more freedom to mold my experiences into whatever I want them to be.”
Keepsake will be the most personal that Ziman has gotten in her music, distilling her experiences of memories shaping her perspective on reality over time.
“There’s a theme on this record of reclaiming yourself. I’ve been down this road a couple of times. I can be easier on myself, no need to be afraid of falling. I still fall – I’m just better at it now.”
The album was completed with the help of longtime collaborators Dan Molad, who produced the majority of Keepsake, and Peter Lalish. The gorgeous string arrangements and other backing tracks were finished by Rob Moose (Bon Iver, Antony and the Johnsons, Joan as Policewoman) along with others. Keepsake was recorded in both the Portland, Oregon studio of Richard Swift and later at Panoramic House Studio outside of San Francisco, surrounded by lush greenery and a gorgeous view of the Pacific coast.
Though professional recording is hard to outdo, Ziman also took a more personal touch to her songs in her own Brooklyn apartment, where she overdubbed and recorded a few tracks solo, including “Land of Lost Things.”
“I was exploring how much cool stuff I could make in my house with just a shitty mic, a preamp and my amazing piano,” she says. “My baby served me well.”
Though she would’ve ideally recorded the album in a couple weeks, Ziman had to spread the sessions out while also touring with the likes of Sara Bareilles and Kishi Bashi and working on documentary film scores with partner Paul Brill (In My Father’s House, Knuckleball, The Other Shore).
Elizabeth and The Catapult will be touring through the end of the year behind Keepsake so expect dates to be announced soon. Also check out album information for the new record below.
Keepsake Track Listing
01. We Can Pretend
02. Underwater
03. Something More
04. Ambrosia
05. Magic Chaser
06. Mea Culpa
07. Method Acting
08. Better Days
09. Less Than You Think
10. Tread Carefully
11. Land of Lost Things
Bonus: New Beginnings
Bonus: Wishing Well
Leave a Comment