Today marks the return of Shaylee with their album The Name of This Band is Shaylee, their fourth and final LP, out now on KRS.
Shaylee is a Portland, Oregon-based power pop/post-rock band led by trans-femme multi-instrumentalist and songwriter Elle Archer. With a versatile sonic palette drawn from decades of her favorite guitar music, Shaylee straddles the line between power pop, emo, and space rock, delivering songs that are both dreamlike and grounded in sober reality. Elle channels her challenges into her greatest strength as a writer, crafting lyrics that are unafraid to confront stark realities, whether they’re about insecurities, bad habits, or her place in the world as a trans woman.
Across The Name of This Band is Shaylee's thirteen tracks exploring love, loss, transition, and survival, Elle creates expansive soundscapes that shift seamlessly in production style. She goes big with the anthemic synths of “Ms. Diamond” and the haunting, psychedelic guitar solos on “Same Mistakes,” but she also isn’t afraid to strip it all back to just her voice and a few guitars on “Stay Scared.” Meanwhile, her bandmates, Robin Cook on bass and Nate Anderson on drums, shine with gritty, power-trio indie rock on “Snow Day.” Elle’s lyrics have a striking specificity—if you’ve been there, her words will bring it all to the surface, and if you haven’t, the emotion in her lyrics and music still cuts through. And sometimes, a sick guitar solo is just a sick guitar solo. The Name of This Band is Shayleeis well worth your time, and Elle remains a talent to watch.
Cover Photo: Olvier Barile
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