Ellis Releases New Single 'Embarrassing'

Ellis - Hamilton, Ontario's Linnea Siggelkow - recently announced her breathtaking debut album, Born Again, and today she shares its incredible second single. Following the previously released "Fall Apart," "Embarrassing" offers a layered meditation on regret and responsibility through its shape shifting textures and gorgeously languid pace. Check out the new song and its Max Taeuschel-directed video now.

Ellis on the new single:

"I've come to realize that shame can be both good and bad, and the importance of recognizing the difference. I've felt it often when I shouldn't have, when I've been made to feel guilty for things that have happened outside of my control, or for feeling ashamed of my body or my femininity or my feelings. But I think it's important to also recognize that some things shouldn't be justified, sometimes I act in wrong ways and hurt myself or others around me. I am learning to take responsibility for my actions and to hold myself accountable for the things that I should be embarrassed by, to say sorry, and to be better."

Produced by Jake Aron (Snail Mail, Solange, Grizzly Bear) and recorded partly at Aron's Brooklyn studio, Born Again arrives as the follow-up to Ellis's debut EP The Fuzz-a self-released, self-produced effort that promptly led to a deal with Fat Possum Records. In a departure from the viscerally charged dream-pop of The Fuzz, Born Again unfolds with a mesmerizing subtlety, gracefully spotlighting Ellis's unhurried melodies, starkly confessional lyrics, and luminous vocal work. Not only does this record and its production showcase Ellis' incredible growth as a songwriter, but it also explores more complex and honest themes than her earlier work. "I grew up Christian and was quite devoted to faith up through my late teens, but I started challenging that once I got to university," says Siggelkow, the daughter of a traveling book salesman and a piano teacher. "Since then I've been trying to redefine who I am and where I stand and what I think about these things on my own, and that journey very much played into the songwriting on this record." Pre-order Born Again now, out April 3rd on Fat Possum Records, HERE.

Ellis will bring Born Again on the road this Spring, touring across the U.S. and the UK. See below to find a show near you.

Tracklisting

1. Pringle Creek

2. Born Again

3. Shame

4. Embarrassing

5. March 13

6. Fall Apart

7. Happy

8. Into the Trees

9. Saturn Return

10. Zhuangzi's Dream

The full-length debut from Ellis, Born Again takes place in spaces both intimate and vast, ordinary and near-mythic: warm beds and lonely church pews, restless cities and desolate forests and the furthest reaches of the cosmos. Throughout the album, those spaces serve as the backdrop to Ellis's sharply detailed and sometimes-painful experience of self-discovery, as well as the life-changing transformation echoed in the album's title.

Embedded with Ellis's untethered guitar work and elegant piano melodies, BornAgain showcases the sophisticated musicality she's honed since taking up piano at age four (partly due to the influence of her mother, a piano teacher). The summer she was 12, Siggelkow saved up her babysitting money and bought her first guitar, then began writing her own songs a few years later. "Because of my anxiety, the idea of performing was always intimidating, so the songs stayed in my bedroom for a long time," she notes. Upon moving to Toronto in her early 20s, Siggelkow started playing in local bands, later making her name as a solo performer in the city's DIY scene, until she eventually adopted the moniker of Ellis (a play on her initials).

For Ellis, the making of her debut album proved to be incredibly demanding. "When the record was finished, I didn't feel how I had anticipated I would. I thought I was going to be feeling excited and fulfilled and proud of myself, but truthfully, I felt very depleted and drained and emptied out. The more I thought about why that was, the more I realized that I really did give this record all of myself, every last bit." But through that process, she slowly made her way to an unforeseen clarity-an effect she hopes might ultimately transfer onto Born Again's listeners. "I feel like I've found some sort of closure, and a better understanding of all the ways I've grown and the things I still have to work on," says Siggelkow. "I rarely sit down with any specific intention when I'm working on music, but if these songs help people to find some comfort or feel less alone in what they're going through, then that's really the greatest takeaway I could ever hope for."

Tour dates

March 5th - Hamilton, ON - Casbah

March 17th - 21st - Austin, TX - SXSW

March 24th - Manitou Springs, CO - Lulu's Downstairs*

March 26th - Salt Lake City, UT - Kilby Court*

March 27th - Boise, ID - Treefort Music Fest

March 29th - Seattle, WA - Barboza*

March 30th - Portland, OR - Mississippi Avenue*

April 2nd - San Francisco, CA - Bottom of The Hill*

April 3rd - Santa Ana, CA - Constellation Room*

April 4th - Los Angeles, CA - The Echo*

April 5th - San Diego, CA - Che Cafe*

April 7th - Phoenix, AZ - The Rebel Lounge*

April 9th - Denver, CO - Larimer Lounge*

April 11th - Minneapolis, MN - 7th Street Entry*

April 13th - Chicago, IL - Schubas

April 24th - Toronto, ON - Monarch Tavern

April 25th - Montreal, QC - Ursa

April 26th - Boston, MA - Great Scott

April 28th - New York, NY - Elsewhere Zone One

April 29th - Philadelphia, PA - Boots & Saddle

April 30th - Washington, DC - Songbyrd

May 20th - London, UK - The Lexington

*supporting Ratboys

To post a comment, you must register and login.