Elke Releases Third Studio Album BIG MIKE via Congrats Records

Nashville-based artist Elke releases BIG MIKE, her third studio album, out now via Congrats Records. The album is preceded by lead single 'Pusher,' The Virgin Suicides inspired 'Breathless' and the standout 'Failed Attempt.' Each single came with a music video directed by Elke herself (Kayla Graninger). The videos not only draw on the album's central themes, but show the range of her creative vision.

Sonically, BIG MIKE is a departure from the maximalist textures of her 2024 release Divine Urge. The album title is a callback to the larger-than-life figures of her youth in the nineties, legends like Michael Jordan, and most importantly, her father, who she recently lost.

BIG MIKE takes listeners back to the beginning, to the growing pains of youth never outgrown. Across nine tracks, Graninger confesses, pleads, jokes, vows. There's something elemental about the world of BIG MIKE. Graninger's lyrics are close to the bone, simple and exact. Her voice is clear, unadorned and stripped down.

The album cover is untouched. 'I sound like myself,' she says. Having lived through different versions of herself, she's pared it all back, with just her and a guitar on stage. These songs were written in rooms she's painted and fixed up, performed at open-mics for strangers. The result is coherent and natural, the way your shoulders relax around a friend that knows themselves, and how just being around them makes you feel seen and understood, too.

BIG MIKE takes a big swing, knowing the cost of being performative is higher than the risk of exposing yourself. And when we're ready, BIG MIKE will be waiting on the other side to greet us, flowers in hand.

Tracklist

Pusher

Breathless

Failed Attempt

We Can't Stop

Toxic Trait

Moon Marquee

Rotisserie

Angel

The Stranger

Photo Credit: Maria Torres | download high-res