SOOT SPRITE (UK): Shoegaze's essential oil
Soot Sprite is the Bedroom rock/ shoegaze musical project of Elise Cook, done in her loft room in Exeter. All the melodies and arrangements are simple and extremely efficient, stripping Shoegaze of the sometimes too many effects and exposing what it is about. Subtle and beautiful at the same time.
The musical work to date is an EP, Comfort In Concrete, released in May 2018
Elise - Guitar and Vocals
Ross - Bass
Matt - Drums
What is your music about?
It comes from a very honest place, it’s about recovery, struggling with societal norms and death comes up quite a bit too.
Tell us about the artists you have worked with.
My bass player (Ross) also plays in his own project called Fusea, it’s a darkwave two piece that he fronts and it’s seriously great, really 80’s feel to it. I also used to play in a band called Rink with a good friend of mine, Emily Isherwood. She’s since gone on and started a new project under her own name and it’s absolutely mesmerising, can’t wait for whatever is coming next from her!
What are your goals as an artist artistically/commerically?
I really just want to carry on writing and never forget that this is an outlet for me, and not to be manipulated by anything outside of that. If it reaches people on a relatable level then that’s a hell of a bonus. Asides from that I want to push this band as far as it can go, and play some really great shows!
Who would you want as a dream producer, and why?
I would absolutely love to have Catherine Marks work on a record, she’s done some jaw-dropping work with artists like Foals, Wolf Alice and The Big Moon
What are you trying to avoid as a band?
For it ever to stop being enjoyable for us, but also not to undervalue ourselves and our capabilities.
Explain your songwriting process.
I’ll usually just be sitting around with my guitar finding nice chord structures, and if the lyrics come all at once then we’re onto a winner. It’s usually the chords that inspire some kind of emotion that drives the song, and if I don’t finish it in one sitting, then I rarely come back to it because it ends up feeling forced.
In 2018 there is no new or old music to a 17 year old with internet access. Discuss.
That’s just completely untrue, people are finding new sounds all the time. One new favourite artist can send someone into a rabbit hole of a new genre, we’ve all been there, and there’s no reason teenagers shouldn’t be now, especially with how accessible music is now.
Why do you make the music you make?
Because it feels like the only real way I can express what I’m dealing with, it’s cathartic to put something into song and put it out into the world, and when it resonates with someone else that’s a very special thing. And so far writing and recording everything in my room has made it almost like diary entries for me, that’s then curated into a record for anyone to hear.
Describe your palette of sound.
Ghostly vocals hovering over guitars that roar and glimmer, leaving you a feeling of dreamy nostalgia,
