Elita Share 'It's a Joke' From Forthcoming 'Dysania' LP

Late last year, the rising Newfoundland-based alternative act Elita announced their debut album, Dysania, due March 22, 2023 via Opposition.

Today, the band are thrilled to share the standout album track "It's a Joke." Watch the song's video on YouTube. "It's a Joke" follows on the heels of the previously released singles "She Bangs Like a Fairy On Acid," "Mentally Not Here" and "Sleep Paralysis." Read what the band's Elita Harkov and Tim Rypien had to say about the surprising origins of the song below.

Tim: "Johnny and I were trying to make a mock-rock version of Aqua. Elita's soft and sarcastic vocals are a perfect fit for the song's abrasiveness. My lyrics are about resisting intrusive thoughts."

Elita: "For some reason "C'est une blague" always pops in my head. Which means "It's a joke" in French. I think it came from learning it in school, but I always liked it. When I heard the instrumental, it was so harsh, so I thought it'd be funny to sing super soft in French. I just think people take things too seriously."

Elita's debut album Dysania explores a dystopian wasteland bordering a dream and a nightmare. It's a villain story of a femme fatale; the soundtrack for Fight Club meets Fern Gully. The music feels nostalgic yet modern, creating a hifi/lofi ambience with a diverse sound including instrumentals experimenting with videogame core, using Nintendo inspired drums. With lyrics ranging from forest fairies to dark themes of death and depression, the band strives to never take it too seriously.

The band features Elita Harkov on vocals, Tim Rypien on guitar/keyboard, and John Eddy on guitar/slide. They've achieved 30M+ streams early on in their career with their hypnotizing, often dark tunes. Frontwoman Elita's airy, angelic vocals contrast brilliantly with the sinister lyrics, creating a spine-tingling feeling for the listener. Their new music builds on the dark, haunting subjects of their past projects with songs that tie in themes of anxiety and depression with the supernatural.

The band continues to emerge from being an undiscovered hidden gem, achieving thousands of dedicated followers with very little industry support. Elita's debut album release follows-up their Anxiety Angel EP, which featured hit record "Sour Switchblade" (15M+ streams), a song that Indie88 described as "packed with hypnotizing, cyclical instrumentals and haunting vocal lines."

Growing up in Newfoundland, Canada, in a town of less than 800 people, Elita spent most of her childhood in isolation. With encouragement from her parents, she developed artistic skills in photography, drawing, dancing, singing and music. She changed high schools frequently as a teenager.

Feeling removed from friends, she found comfort in social media, where she began gaining a following on IG in 2015, and began modeling. In 2017, Elita launched her own business, designing zines, and a few years later, a successful jewelry line. That same year, she met her boyfriend and future bandmate Tim Rypien.

The couple recorded a cover of "After Hours" by The Velvet Underground, and with a growing interest in the cinematic arts, Elita focused on writing a movie script with Tim (to no success). However, this attempt at collaboration led to them writing their first single "I Hate Everyone but You" (2018). They had no intention of making the song public, but after recording a test demo, they decided to release it.

Tim concentrated on writing more songs with his bandmates and sending these instrumentals to Elita, who would write lyrics and perform vocals. This collaboration led to the eventual recording and release of Elita's debut EP, Sick Girl (2019), single "Void" (2020), and EP Blood Sucker (2020). The band has continued to develop their sound and looks poised to be a fixture in the indie/alternative scenes for years to come.

Watch the new music video here:

Photo Credit: Klaus K

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