Photo Credit Klaus K
Late last year, the rising Newfoundland-based alternative act Elita announced their debut album, Dysania, due March 22, 2023 via Opposition. With the announcement came the album’s second single “Mentally Not Here,” which premiered on Under the Radar and followed on the heels of the upcoming LP’s lead single, “Sleep Paralysis.”
The band are thrilled to share their newest spooky, synth-laden gem, the wonderfully titled “She Bangs Like a Fairy on Acid.” Watch the song’s visualizer on YouTube. Read what the band’s Elita and Tim Rypien had to say about the surprising origins of the song below.
Tell us the story behind this track and especially the imagery you chose for the title
E: Tim sent me the instrumental on Christmas, I instantly wrote the song. I always start with the feeling the song gives me and start visualizing a world around it. We tried mushrooms a few days before so the piano melody he sent reminded me of that. The title is a reference from Skins, that quote always stuck with me. I thought it fit the sound of the song perfectly.
You mentioned you tried mushrooms before writing this. What was it like?
E: Very positive. Colours looked vibrant and everything felt like it was vibrating. It was like I was in a little safe mushroom world.
T: Yeah we tried mushrooms together with a friend in LA. It was during Christmas so we walked around in the evening looking at peoples crazy lawn ornaments and lights.
How do you usually take inspiration from day to day life for your music?
E: For me, it might be something I’m going through, or had gone through and want to write about it. But the feeling the instrumental gives me impacts what I’m going to write about, always.
T: I take most of my inspiration from video games. I spend a lot of time watching Survival Horror Network on YT as well as playing games myself. Slipping into another world is really inspiring. I try to carry that feeling into making music.
J: In day to day life, humorous events always inspire. Something about being silly and losing control over your laughter can really loosen things up and help conceive a song. A lot of our songs instrumentally start as a joke. (These are always my favourite)
Weirdest/most memorable anecdote from your time together as a group?
E: We got to work with one of my favourite photographers, Nick Knight, for the artwork of Dysania. That was an unforgettable experience. Timmy and I went to London for the shoot, we had an amazing time. We went to Amsterdam for the first time after, too!
T: Someone set off several stink bombs during a show we played in LA in 2021. Having to deal with that while performing was odd. People thought it was a gas leak at first but stink bombs are pretty distinct in their wreak. I think I knew who did it too- there was a guy in the audience that looked very out of place. I keep making eye contact with him and he looked wet and scared. He was nervously shifting throughout the venue and then vanished.
What are some of your goals, hopes and dreams as an act?
E: Just keep making music, I feel so lucky to continue exploring our sound and have people support us.
T: To continue to grow as a musician. I’d love to one day make music for video games in the horror and fantasy genres.
J: I’d love to take part in the creation of a cartoon soundtrack, or the birth of a new cartoon. Making sounds around an animation and the characters vibe is very appealing
