Press Play: Elvis Deppressedly

Elvis Depressedly is the acclaimed project of North Carolina native Mathew Lee Cothran. Cothran spins experimental pop melodies under a thick blanket of lofi production for a sound that is as tranquilizing as it is infectious.  In 2015 he released his breakout debut New Alhambra. His unapologetic home-recording style reflected a poignant portrayal of his work with unique quirks and undeniable grit. In New Alhambra, Cothran’s guitars stir and crash in a multi-dimensional luster and the keyboard has a full body and voice on each track. He also has room to experiment with trippy chorus effects on his vocals in “Ease” and even a reversed guitar solo in “New Heaven, New Earth.”

In 2016, Cothran released Holo Pleasures / California Dreamin’, a reissued version of past EP Holo Pleasures combined with new EP California Dreamin’. On this effort, breezy synth, subtle percussion and cooing vocoders provide a solid foundation for trance-inducing grooves.  The effort takes a simple yet full approach to constructing songs. In “Weird Honey”, guitar lines mimic the vocal melody for an even stronger hook. Overall, the EP strolls past like a rainstorm on a summer evening– like a backdrop for contemplation and weird dreams.

April brought Cothran’s latest effort Depressedelica. The effort is a tight 35 minutes and sees him recording more adventurously than before with autotuned vocals and video game samples sitting alongside washed-out guitars and droning synths. The album opener “Who Can Be Loved In This World?” is driving and catchy. It also shows Cothran yet again mixing stark simplicity with the unconventional. The closing track “Let’s Break Up The Band” best captures the record’s resilient spirit with its wall-of-sound distortion.