Over the last several years, there have been a whole lot of intriguing young artists coming out of Toronto, a new generation of guitar-centric bands who quickly proved themselves to be exciting songwriters. Amongst the busy scene, the name Ellis started to appear. Ellis is the project of Linnea Siggelkow, who began writing songs alone in her bedroom. Over time, Ellis attracted attention, opening for or playing alongside artists in DIY and indie circles like Ó, Palehound, Soccer Mommy, and Free Cake For Every Creature.

Now expanded to a four piece, Ellis is gearing up to unveil some new music, with an EP slated for release this fall. The first taste of that arrives today in the form of a single called “The Drain.” Here’s what Siggelkow had to say about the track:

“The Drain” is one of the first songs I wrote for this project. It’s probably also the most hopeful. It’s about self-sabotaging a relationship because you’re afraid of how deep it’s getting, but then saying “fuck it” and diving in anyway.

The sound of “The Drain” echoes its meaning well: It’s a swooning, hazy piece of music, capturing the lure of those early relationship stages. There’s a way in which it sounds romantic thanks to its deeply pretty melody, but there’s also a way in which it suggests melancholy, the sonic companion to spending a rainy afternoon fixating on these sort of thoughts. “I’m having dreams again/ Where I’m being sucked into the drain/ I’m up and then I’m down/ Don’t think I’ve ever felt so strange,” Siggelkow sings at the song’s opening, illustrating that emotional whiplash of starting something with someone new, trying to fend it off, trying to welcome it. By the end, there’s acceptance, willingness to give it a shot, a hint of that hopefulness Siggelkow described. Check it out below.

TOUR DATES:

07/28 – Toronto, ON @ The Garrison (w/ Vallens)
07/30 – Hamilton, ON @ The Casbah (w/ T Rextasy)
08/09 – London, ON @ The Rec Room (w/ Vallens)
08/17 – Toronto, ON @ Baby G (w/ Free Cake For Every Creature)

“The Drain” is out now.