When it comes to the oversaturated genre of pop music, there seems to be only a handful of acts that don’t seem to care about fitting into the mainstream’s mould. Sweden’s Ellinor Olovsdotter, aka Elliphant is one such rebel and her latest effort, Living Life Golden serves as a middle finger to the majority of what pop is offering at the moment.
Ever since she stated that “normal is the enemy” on her 2012 debut EP, Elliphant has stuck to creating vibrant tunes that reflect her rowdy persona as well as her views covering everything from politics to the natural world. Living Life Golden features such moments early on, with tracks like ‘Step Down’ and ‘Everybody’ acting as exposes on the high and mighty as well as the tired fads plaguing music. It’s only right that Azealia Banks features on the latter, as her complete distaste for what’s considered ‘correct’, politically or otherwise, within the industry machine compliments Elliphant’s sentiments perfectly.
The dancehall and reggae that has long permeated Olovsdotter’s music shine brightest on ‘Not Ready’, ‘Player Run’ and the Gyptian assisted ‘Love Me Long’. All cover different realisations brought on by relationships, and whether she’s singing about the joys of independence or the need for physical connections, Elliphant will have both the heart and feet dancing.
As a major label debut, Living Life Golden manages to uphold everything that fans have come to love about Elliphant. Her charismatic vocal style commands attention whether she’s singing or rapping, and her penchant for rebellious fun ensures she’ll be stomping all over the competition with ease.
Rating: ★★★★
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