Tag: Ella Belfanti

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

TYDE Wows With First Release “Skin on Skin”

Ella Belfanti wowed me a few years ago with her first collection of songs, Going in Circles. I saw her promise then, but it’s being fully realised with the release of her first material with her new band TYDE. The band features Ella, her younger sister Zoe, and another promising young talent Josh Garnett. With their debut release “Skin on Skin,” you can hear this trio has really got something special.

I can hear the influence of acts like Florence + The Machine and Matt Corby in this music, but it’s not so strong that it drowns out their originality. This song is so well-written and the musical arrangement absolutely captivating. It starts so small and intimate but builds to a beautiful, emotionally powerful crescendo.

Ella conceived the track while working as a ski instructor last year.

“During my third back-to-back winter amongst a very transient social set, I was feeling pretty lonely. After a few drinks on a big night out, I sought out connection in a way that usually wouldn’t be my style,” she admitted. “’Skin On Skin’ is about how it didn’t make me feel the way I wanted it to.”

The trio finished the arrangement in person, and you get a sense of that collaboration in the finished recording. While this is Ella’s story, you really get the sense that this is a band effort. The video, shot at Brisbane’s West End and Tambourine, is also visually stunning.

“The concept was to create this surreal space between the reality of going home the morning after a one-night stand, and the emotional rollercoaster that can happen in your head. We wanted to capture the process of reflecting on the experience – specifically in this story, on feeling detached and feeling strange in your own skin.”

Ella Belfanti has matured a lot as an artist since I was introduced to her music three years ago. She’s also surrounding herself with people who complement her talent so beautifully. After discovering this music from TYDE, I can’t wait to hear more.

Image used with permission from TYDE

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

“Going in Circles” – Ella Belfanti

Young musicians have it tough. We’ve seen young performers make a splash on reality TV shows time and time again. They’re praised for having talent beyond their years, for being so good for their age, and then they’re soon forgotten about when the next wave of performers turns up. So it’s refreshing to see an artist like Ella Belfanti who has taken the time-honoured route of recording her debut release Going in Circles in her bedroom, then putting in the hard yards delivering it to music outlets like myself.

As a bedroom recording laid down with a two-line input audio, listening to Going in Circles is a very different listening experience than many music lovers are used to. Music has usually been polished within an inch of its life before we consume it. There’s something so refreshing about tuning into music that feels untainted like this.

I was instantly struck by Ella’s sweet voice. Not sugary sweet mind you, but pure and angelic with a commanding presence that draws you in. So do her lyrics. Songs like “Trying Not to Like You” and the irresistibly catchy “All of This” appealed to my inner teen who has never quite gone away. There’s such a quiet strength tempered by vulnerability in “Turn With the Tide” and “Make Up Your Mind.” “Focus” is perhaps the most ambitious song on the release, a haunting ballad that reveals an artist with so much potential. The closing track “Circles” is filled with so much longing, the perfect way to end this EP that explores early love and loss so eloquently.

Going in Circles is a collection of such good, organic folk songs. Songs that aren’t just good for the artist’s age, but good full stop. Ella shows great artistic instincts, building her sound with layered vocals and instruments (she plays everything from the guitar to drums, from flute to pencils tapped together in front of the mic!). Everything is in just the right place.

Remember the name, because Ella Belfanti has a big future ahead of her. Sydneysiders, you can see Ella play songs from Going in Circles at The Gasoline Pony in Marrickville on March 8.