‘Elephant Run – Hanoi’ is a whimsical, weird alt-rock opus that keeps you guessing and leaves you delightfully surprised.

For a band that’s consisting of members from two distant cities (Malmö & São Paulo), they combine their diverse musical influences to create an energetic, innovative, immersive psychadelic rock music experience. The band formed under unlikely circumstnces when Swedish artist Amanda Wahlström Plantin ran into Brazilian drummer Ladislau Kardos at a São Paulo festival, way back in 2014. Theri chance encounter sparked some crazy ideas about what they could do with their diverse musical cultures put togther. Shortly, they added on guitarist Fernando Coelho and bassist/producer Renato Cortez, to create a sound thats unique as their origin stories. Imagine deep, strong Nordic female vocals paired with breezy, jazz-infused, energetic Brazilian rock music. Thus, Elephant Run was created!

Dubbing their cross-continental style of music as ‘Nordic Tropical’, ‘Hanoi’ is from their 2024 album release ‘Leftover Land’. The track opens with a flourishing, dynamic, jazz, blues-rock arrangement, pianos, guitar, drums and bass in full flow. A eclectic guitar melody cuts through like lightening. Then come Amanda’s strong, commanding vocals, combining emotional depth and cinematic story telling. The track takes a surprising turn here, going through a murky, mysterious section, conjuring images of walking though a dark forest, full of night creatures. Its immersive to say the least. Then, we go back to the inital flourishing melodies, infused with a fresh energy, Amanda’s vocals and epic guitar sections, adding great depth and personality to ‘Hanoi’.

The balance between the arrangements is flawless. Especially the way the guitar swell and cry out so vividly, riding on warm, playful organ melodies. The interplay is gorgeous and reminds the listener of some of Opeth’s more melodious instrumental tracks. The exquisite prouction allows for a symphonic, cinematic listening experience that lingers on long after the track ends.

Fans of alt/prog rock genre looking for new material to sink their teeth in, look no further! Elephant Run is your latest muse to savour.

Stream ‘Elephant Run – Hanoi’ on Spotify here: