Enticing us with an enigmatic and cerebral melodic riff, ACTVE CAPTVE open Ellis Island with intrigue, before immersing us with a luscious and dimensional soundscape with 80s adjacency and futuristic nuance.
The opus expands with emotive and narrative-driven storytelling as the band from Austin take us on an evocative and thought-provoking journey laced with poetic prowess and intentional depth.
We learn that Ellis Island is designed to explore “universal themes of love, loss, and hope, paralleling the emotional turbulence of a heartrending breakup with the journey of immigrants who left their homelands in search of new beginnings, as did the thousands who passed through Ellis Island in pursuit of the American Dream.”
The song draws from songwriter Justin Han’s personal experience and captures “the dichotomy of leaving behind a cherished world while simultaneously holding onto the hope of creating a new one.”
We appreciate the unique nature of the track, as well as the band’s tangible instrumental mastery, in turn creating a cohesive and captivating tapestry of sound.
The song marks the second track from the band’s upcoming EP, titled Saudaze, and was produced by Jason Heninger at Orb Studios in Austin, mixed by Israel Doria, and mastered by Justin Colletti. We also appreciate the presence of Cassie Brandi‘s soulful vocals and the stunning drum work of Kyle May.
ACTVE CAPTVE tell us how their overarching goal is “to create music that connects with listeners on a profound level, to evoke a wide range of emotions that reminds us of our shared human experience”, and their conscious approach to song creation is something that feels unique and much needed in this day and age.
We have added Ellis Island to our New Music Spotlight playlist, whilst we continue to stream ACTVE CAPTVE‘s wider discography and anticipate future releases from the intentional band.