Remember in September, we introduced you to Elijah Mann with his single "Without My Breath", which was played exactly 394 times on our radio station. A collaboration with Ellajay, another artist who is one of IMC's regulars.

Today, Elijah returns with a stunning new track. On a much slower tempo than "Without My Breath", "Clementine" does not however have to be ashamed of the emotional power of its predecessor. Three days away from Valentine's Day, the song is released at the right time to evoke those butterflies you feel in your stomach when you feel that a budding relationship is on the right track, as Elijah explains: "The sensual track captures an intensifying attraction between two people that ultimately launches from a tipping point into something much greater. The fresh beginning, optimistic uncertainty, and thrill of new love evoked through the lyrics in "Clementine" is a reminder of perhaps one of the most underrated and exciting stages of a relationship."

It is also quite anecdotal that Elijah mentioned a fresh beginning, because for me, in his career, this is exactly what this song represents. Like a new beginning after an important turning point. The Brooklyn-based artist has surrounded himself with creative and efficient people, such as producer Adam Tilzer (who has given life to projects for Keith Richards, Norah Jones, Joey Ramone, or Beck, to name a few). And the construction and overall skeleton of the song are quite impressive.

From a simple intro with an electric guitar, "Clementine" ends in apotheosis in the last minute which triggers the goosebumps. The clementine metaphor is a stroke of genius since we can see a double meaning in it. First the fruit, at first a little spicy but that we end up appreciating, just like the beginning of a romantic relationship. And then the given name, very common in French, and which the artist seems to call by repeating "my clementine" in the song. Well, I admit that I may have gotten a little carried away too quickly. After all, we don't know what the first name of the person to whom the song is addressed is!

But that kind of intelligent construction of lyrics, which allows listeners different interpretations, generally shows the level of creativity and ingenuity of a singer-songwriter. Very few are able to succeed in this exercise. You will find some of them on IMC (Allison Leah in "24 Years Down", or The Satellite Station in "Shelter", for example). Elijah Mann, therefore, has a very high level of quality, whether in writing or now production quality.

He sets the bar very high and one can only wonder what will happen next. Besides, we don't really know what his future projects are. And what is fabulous with that kind of creative artist is that you can always ask them the question: they themselves don't know. Because they go with the flow, write and create depending on their thoughts, their moods, and that's something quite unpredictable. But at IMC, we like surprises. Especially good ones. We wish Elijah good luck with the release of this new banger, which you can add to your favorites to help him grow. And as we always say in French: "never two without three", a saying that basically means "if there is a second time, there will necessarily be a third". We are already looking forward to it!

Reach out to Elijah Mann

_________________

Written with love by Niko. Find more amazing songs like "Clementine" on our "Indie Music" playlist on Spotify.