freyja elsy
I first worked with Freyja on a remix of the track ‘Salem’ from her first EP.
Following this I invited Freyja to support Small Miracles at a show. Alongside the support slot, Freyja joined us for our song Berlin, adding additional synthesizer and giving the track and ambient atmosphere for one night only.
This led to her appearing as a guest on our debut album, providing backing vocals and sublime sound design on the tracks Make It Make Sense and Love In Retrograde.
Freyja then invited me to play in her live band for her first headline show in 2025. The set involved new live arrangements of her earlier songs and brand new tracks which went on to form her upcoming second EP.
I recorded my parts for the EP at StudiOwz in West Wales in summer 2025.
radio premiere: In My Veins
Molly Palmer, BBC Radio Wales, selected Freyja’s upcoming single ‘In My Veins’ as her must add track of the week. Listen again and here the track over on BBC Sounds.
debut show
Our first show as a band was for Freyja’s headline gig at Paradise Garden in April 2025. It was a different experience playing without a live drummer. Even though the beats from the backing tracks are more predictable, I found myself having to concentrate more to make sure I didn’t get away from the tempo.
On the plus side, working with backing tracks ensured the cinematic details in Freyja’s arrangements were able to be part of the live experience. I also got to see up close just how much Freyja controls from her keyboard (from switching patches to triggering lives samples of her own voice).
Rich held down the bass parts with precision and intensity and Ed (on the desk) added flourishes of tape delay and subtle tweaks to the mix that made all the difference in the room.
The crowd felt really immersed in the music. There were multiple ‘pin drop’ where the room was silent waiting for the next line of the song to be sung.
More shows are on the horizon to support the upcoming EP in 2026.