“Marble Statue” is swirling and melancholic, a cocoon embracing listeners with a gentle reminder to let go of perfection. It starts off with a dreamy trumpet line (video game fans might be able to hear a layered trumpet sample from Disco Elysium) that intentionally echoes Pasion’s vulnerable lyrics.
“When we thought of the melody and the chords, the trumpet part came to try to symbolize that longing, spiraling feeling,” said guitarist and co-vocalist Brenden Phung. “Blending that was a way to bring our sound forward while also continuing to experiment.”
Another new direction the band took was recording in a professional studio for the first time. Armed with demos they first ideated in their practice space, the group recorded at Tiny Telephone in Oakland to bring their material to life.
“[With] ‘Marble Statue,’ having all of us play in the same room really helped us practice for that studio session,” said guitarist and bassist Cliff Yang. “We were so laser focused on all the different tiny sections in songs where things have to be locked in.”
Working with the producers at Tiny Telephone also helped achieve a sense of cohesion for The Art of Erosion as a whole.
“[Tiny Telephone] really helped tie these 11 separate songs into, I think, a really solid album that is trying to take the listener on a journey of what it’s like when you feel a relationship slowly starting to wear away and all its nuances and different situations,” said Phung. “I hope that for anyone checking out The Art of Erosion, they can really feel this sense of universalness about these tough situations.”
Indigo Elephant’s new album The Art of Erosion is out now. The band is performing at The Knockout in San Francisco on Nov. 15.
