Elen Never Sleeps: “White Surrender” (Taquwami Remix)

Elen Never Sleeps and Super VHS, two of the best young artists in the Tokyo music scene right now, have teamed up for a late-summer split EP.  The prior’s “White Surrender” finds Elen Never Sleeps stepping out of the shadows slightly, the vocals clearer on this track than at any other point in his young career.  The rest of “White Surrender” is more in line with what Elen Never Sleeps has done before – a minimal musical backdrop accented by some lovely wordless vocals.  Super VHS’ “Stuck On You,” meanwhile, is guitar-powered garage rock sounding appropriately rough.  Unlike Elen Never Sleeps, Super VHS’ contribution strays more from the synth-heavy style they usually rely on.  The EP also features remixes of each track courtesy of another buzzed-about Tokyoite, Taquwami.  His take on “White Surrender” veers closer to what Elen Never Sleeps usually sounds like – Taquwami muffles the vocals more than on the original – save for a few instances of slowed-down vocals.  His remix of “Stuck On You” adds more synths and takes the song in a more dance-friendly direction.

The White Surrender/Stuck On You EP is available on BandCamp

Written by Patrick St. Michel