“Home for me is something like a stillness in the morning with a pen and paper in front of me, a hug with a friend that brings tears to my eyes, singing along to Bob Marley with my family. Home is a moment, or moments, I think, with people that you love and love you.” This keenly felt words from Party Nails, also known as Elana Carroll, captures the essence of her art and her deep, thoughtful approach to life.
Her latest single, “Same Old Song,” is drenched in nostalgia, inviting listeners into an exploration of personal reflection and growth. The album cover, too, feels like a treasured memory, stirring feelings of tenderness and contemplation. Elana’s music strikes a balance between the personal and the collective. She welcomes vulnerability, often likening her songs to diary entries, and this courage to share without pretense is what sets her apart.”
In our interview, she talks about the creative process behind “Same Old Song,” her thoughts on relationship with rest and productivity, and how her love for music technology continues to shape her artistry.
Photography by Naz Massaro
Elana, congratulations on your new release! “Same Old Song” has such a nostalgic energy. Can you share more about the creative process behind transforming your feelings into this track?
Thank you!! There was a real quietness inside me when I started writing this song. The beginning of lockdown felt a lot like how it felt to grow up in a rural area with no neighbors. For something to look forward to, I would wait for the mail to come. I was open to new melody shapes and felt a lot of tenderness in the ideas that were coming to me, which also felt kind of surprising since I’d spent the previous years focusing on a harder, more electronic sound. I spent a lot of time playing this song on my guitar, singing it again, singing harmony ideas, noodling guitar lines, playing with bass parts, then opening the session and doing it again, recording it all again, wondering if this song was a real song again. I had so much time because of lockdown. Had that not been built into my life I almost certainly would’ve bulldozed this song into something less sweet.
You mentioned that during the lockdown, your psyche was interacting with your idea of “home” a lot. Is home for you a physical place, the people, or something else entirely?
I grew up shuffling between two parents’ houses, and they both moved a lot as well. The physical spaces are still vivid in my mind, but so is the constant motion. Home for me is something like a stillness in the morning with a pen and paper in front of me, a hug with a friend that brings tears to my eyes, singing along to Bob Marley with my family. Home is a moment, or moments, I think, with people that you love and love you.
You often describe your songs as diary entries. Does releasing such personal tracks feel vulnerable, or do you find it empowering?
BOTH. I terrify myself all the time with the amount of stuff I share. I feel misunderstood, sometimes for no reason and other times because I really am being judged by the people around me. The reason I do it anyway is because it’s much harder to hold it all inside of me. It’s easier to be authentic and open than it is to pretend to be someone else. I’m not a very good liar.
“It’s easier to be authentic and open than it is to pretend to be someone else. I’m not a very good liar.”
What inspired the title of your upcoming album, “Pillow Talk“?
Laying on the pillow next to a friend, lights off, chatting and giggling until you fall asleep. Or, staring into your lover’s eyes next to them on the pillow, telling them all the things you think about their face and mind and spirit while they do the same to you. Reading a bedtime story with a kid and answering their questions about how life works—all of this is pillow talk. It’s a beautiful set of words to my ears, both sonically and thematically. It’s a subtle nod to Body Talk by Robyn, one of my favorite albums.
And how does “Pillow Talk” differ from your previous albums?
This may be the first album I’ve made that truly integrates all of my musical selves. I’ve always played with genre, but I didn’t think about it in that way. I just liked doing lots of different styles and they all seemed related, in my mind. I’ve studied lots of different styles of playing, music histories, and cultures. I’m not an expert in any of them. I like them all equally. Music is a human need, like making bread or pottery. We just always do it, no matter what. I decided to really lean into that impulse for this album. When I prioritize the humanity in my music making practice, what comes out? When I stop thinking about what would fill out the track list or what style I want to check off for this era, what do I make? When I stop trying to fit into a genre, what do I sound like? What do I feel compelled to sing about?
In past interviews, you’ve expressed your love for music technology. Could you tell us more about that? Many people might picture it as just hours spent in front of the computer, but I’m sure there’s much more to it. (smiles)
I started recording myself in GarageBand when my mom would leave me home alone for a couple hours in the afternoons when she went to get my brother from elementary school, which got out later than my school. My instruments became my voice, my guitars, and the computer. That interest just kept growing. Now I have my own recording studio where I mix, produce and record for bands and artists, including myself. I love songwriting and performing, but engineering, producing and mixing help me stay balanced. It’s really a service you provide to enable someone to be creative. You are sculpting a truth the same way you do as a songwriter. It’s just that you’re using electricity and gear instead of melodies and lyrics. There’s always a bunch of stuff you don’t need but that you need to wade through in order to find the point. There is always more to learn. It can be very tedious. It can be liberating. What does it look like? Reading books and manuals, asking questions (some people will be rude but others will be helpful), experimenting, being willing to troubleshoot, an understanding that music technology is imperfect, balancing “correct” with “fun”.
“The most important thing? I’m not entirely sure, but I think it has something to do with love.”
On Instagram, you mentioned being amazed at how different you feel when you allow yourself to rest, and reflected on how you used to punish yourself for not taking breaks. What advice would you give to others who struggle with the pressure to constantly be productive?
It’s so hard. I have some friends who are really good at understanding when they need to chill, which I am not, and I always think of them when I’m having a hard time relaxing. “What would my friend do right now? Would they just play some video games and try again tomorrow?” The pressure to constantly feel productive is really intense with the internet right now—compare and despair—and if you come from a working class or poor background it might also just be how you’ve had to survive. I made my first album design in the back of an Uber driving from a nannying job to a Party Nails performance, because I literally did not have any other time to do it. That seems totally unhinged to me now, and it was one of many instances in which I simply had to make do, and there just wasn’t a whole lot to work with. Once you have more time and stability, it can be really hard to break out of these habits of extreme stress and lack. My advice would be to listen to your body. Pay attention to how you feel when you have enough sleep, eat three balanced meals, do a little movement and laugh a little. That feeling is what you are trying to nurture in yourself. When you feel compelled to push yourself harder, ask if you are hurting the overall goal of taking care of yourself. The goal is sustainability.
If you could give one piece of advice to your younger self, what would it be?
Free yourself from the wrath that is codependency and live your own damn life.
Is there a particular song or artist that you return to when you need comfort?
Ctrl by SZA, Golden Hour by Kacey Musgraves, Sheryl Crow by Sheryl Crow, White Blood Cells by The White Stripes…I know this is more than you asked for but this is the comfort pile right here.
What do you love outside of music?
Hiking, my dog, psychology, writing, reading, cooking, comedy, my friends, my family. I’m mad at cooking right now though.
What is the most important thing in life?
I’m not entirely sure, but I think it has something to do with love.
Thank you for your time <3
The pleasure is all mine!
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