End of Ways (Orange Vinyl)

“End of Ways” is a bridge to healing as it was written during the period of helping a loved one escape an abusive household while working though its lingering horrors to find peace. On this second album release by indie label Kill Rock Stars, 18-year-old Elliott Fullam touches on even darker subject matter than his predecessor “What’s Wrong” which was a dissociative trip that reached out to thousands of like-minded music enthusiasts who hailed the record as their album of the year. And “End of Ways” is the next record that will continue in that same gentle melody which alleviates the emotional storm that torments so many of us.

Elliott’s sophomore full-length is a blend of home recordings as well as studio recordings which bring some extra depth within the songs to suit their somber settings in the tracks Throw It Away, Forget, and Better Way. But the record still retains its stripped down, lo-fi vibe in songs like Let’s Go Somewhere and Remember When with their clear Elliott Smith and Nick Drake influences in both the acoustic guitar lines and quiet vocals. The addition of young pianist Jeremy Bennett also beautifully adds candle-light melody throughout the album with his haunting notes in the opening song Mistake and his Tim Burton-meets-Vince Guaraldi style in the album’s escapist-themed title track End of Ways along with the dramatic climax to Timeless Tears and the album closer, Over the Moon which is Elliott’s profession of love to his present companion who he saved from her former home.

Elliott Fullam is slightly less timid this time around as he leads his journey on this record from loss, isolation and hopelessness to partnership, hope, freedom, and love. This is an indie/slowcore/acoustic album for fellow fans of Mazzy Star, Radiohead, Elliott Smith, Nick Drake, Big Thief, Crumb, and Alex G that explores childhood, dissociation, heartbreak and ultimately, survival.