Elijah Knutsen Releases Drone Ambient Album ‘Maybe Someday’

‘Maybe Someday’ is a full length drone/ambient album with elements of Dream Pop, Kankyō Ongaku, & Slowcore.

Written and produced by Portland-based experimental/ambient producer Elijah Knutsen, the 8-track ambient album is a funereal exploration of concepts such as; isolation, longing, loneliness, fear of wasting one’s life, and pining for dreams to come true.

The tracks are thematically centered around the dark & snowy landscape of Northern Japan; specifically the concrete laden city of Aomori. Field recordings of isolated shrines, where worshipers pray for their wishes to come true, monotonous urban landscapes, dark, underwater tunnels, and more are all layered throughout the album.

Audio of isolated shrines, where worshipers pray for their dreams to come true, circulate with endless cavernous drones in the track; “All I Wish Is Gone Away.”

“Arctic Dreams” floods the listener with a wash of melancholic guitar chimes, gliding wistfully above a layer of infinite frequencies & modulated voices, echoing & whirling.

Friendly Kankyo Ongaku jingles and sparse synthesizer sweeps indicate a more hopeful outlook on “Dreamless.”

The somber opening track; “Burn Away” starts the album with a series of Prayer Bells. Adjoined in the background are the unmistakable cry of cicadas in the Summer. The bells are echoed by the deep, resounding notes of a modulated Fender VI as the natural sounds dissipate, and the album begins.

Sonically & thematically inspired by artists/groups such as; The Cure, Robin Guthrie, Red House Painters, Hiroshi Yoshimura, and Harold Budd. Albums by The Cure such as Bloodflowers, Wish, & Faith are heavy inspirations for the palette of this release.

The album released on Monday 15th August and is available to download via Bandcamp.

About the Artist: Elijah Knutsen

Elijah Knutsen is a Portland based experimental/ambient producer, whose work ranges from Japanese New Age concept albums, to Shoegaze experimentation. Elijah’s music generally takes on themes of nostalgia and wistfulness, with field recordings and melancholic guitar work intertwined. In March 2020, Elijah started the label “Memory Color”. Since then, he has released and marketed his music to US, UK, and Japanese audiences.

The label was heavily inspired by the Japanese ambient movement of the 80s and 90s. Their focus on updating the genre of “Kankyo Ongaku,” through means of physical releases. Since starting his label, Elijah’s work has been featured in several music publications in Japan, the US, and New Zealand.

Support Elijah Knutsen via Soundcloud and Instagram.