There is a density to Elliot Skinner's sublime extraction "When Will We Know". It is immediately enthralling and lush in sonic and emotional textures. It bubbles, percolates, then grooves on acoustic sounds that have a caustic edge to their beauty. Skinner's vocal aesthetic feels earthy yet heaven bound, there is a lovely ascension as if he and his background singers are joined spiritually. The acoustic embraces, endearing keys and ambient sounds move like an ethereal journey from point A to B, one that is tansformative.
The Brooklyn based, Texas raised artist and creative was part of the vocal trio Thirdstory, recording and touring with the likes of Chance the Rapper, Tori Kelly, Yebba, and Jon Batiste. Now as a solo artist, his affection for exploration spins sounds that coalesce into a hybrid of folk and soul and more.
About “When Will We Know” Skinner shares:
“I wrote this song on an afternoon alone in 2019. Over the next year it became the way I started my shows. It’s an introspection on the human condition, our habits, and the questions we ask ourselves. The song was the beginning of me feeling like I wanted to ask more questions as a songwriter than trying to project some sort of answers. There’s so much work we have to do in our society and as individuals. I wonder what it will look like when we realize it might not be our purposed to control or ‘know’ the truth, but to constantly search for it- to reimagine our existence with every generation- to understand that the impossibilities of the world are built up by constructs. This song is for the de-centering of self and the exploration of each other.”
[“When Will We Know” will be followed by an intimate, explorative visual directed by Nathaniel Lezra and shot by Matthew Tompkins at Babe Studios in Brooklyn, NY - the video will be released on Earth Day, April 22nd.]
For me, this first step into Elliot Skinner's artful sound is hypnotic and so beautiful.
-Robb Donker Curtius
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Elliott Skinner is a Texas-raised, Brooklyn-based artist with a multi-faceted approach to folk and soul music. Skinner’s experimentation with a variety of collaborators, artists, themes, and sounds are beginning to define his burgeoning solo identity after spending three years as part of the vocal trio Thirdstory where he recorded and toured with acts such as Chance the Rapper, Tori Kelly, Yebba, and Jon Batiste.
In the last year, Skinner has opened for singer Kevin Garrett (Roc Nation, Writer and producer for Beyoncé); Anthony Ramos (Hamilton), and Kamasi Washington (Flying Lotus, Kendrick Lamar). The artist has also appeared on Saturday Night Live (with Chance the Rapper); The Late Show with Steven Colbert (with Chance and Daniel Caesar, and Kevin Garrett,); and Ellen (with Anthony Ramos).
Elliott Skinner, Alternative / Indie R&B, Folk, folk indie, Brooklyn based, Texas raised, alt-folk, lush textured sounds, introspection on the human condition, "When Will We Know",
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