Leave a Message is an Ellie d. song brought to life in square home-movie format by director Charlie Schwan and producer Jack Langlois.
This music is stylish, but not overly so. The meaning is clear, and easy to get behind. The sub bass is subtle. And there are some really cool audio trails, but they never overpower the vocals. You almost don’t notice the chillstep chorus production, but when it reaches you’re awareness, you’re glad it’s there. It's pop that's not overproduced.
I listened to this up in the San Fernando Valley to the north of LA, feeling disconnected from the ocean while chatting with a friend down in the South Bay. There are a lot of snooty parts to that whole sphere, known for housing NHL players, personal trainers and political donors. But watching Ellie d.’s romp past Venice canals and to the beach, I was instantly reminded of the parts of LA I love the most. You can smell the salt in the air, and the temperature is moderated. I’m definitely going down there tomorrow to look up some homies.
The song itself is quite pretty. I like how it could have gone in a super hipster direction, but somehow avoided coming across as that kind of scene track. They definitely need to play this on that local Venice radio station, you know, the one midway through the dial you can only pick up from about El Segundo to Westwood (if you’re lucky).
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