elkyn has announced his debut album, holy spirit social club. Set for release via Curation Records on 18 March 2022, holy spirit social club sees elkyn (aka Joey Donnelly) put his uncensored inner dialogue on paper, bravely airing the thoughts most wouldn’t dare expose. Whether that’s hurtful messages to one’s self, vague and elusive memories or lingering lessons from childhood, it’s all here on holy spirit social club, unfiltered and searingly honest.
This sincerity is matched in the music. While the arrangements on holy spirit social club are far more expansive than those heard on 2020 EP beech, tender finger picks and elkyn’s distinctive half-whisper still remain at its heart. Though the pain is palpable, its impact is meditative, enveloping the listener in a safe haven where you feel free to acknowledge the darker parts of yourself.
This unflinching honesty has seen elkyn become a streaming success in recent months, with the one-off singles that followed beech making it on to a number of Spotify editorial playlists. After a lockdown spent demoing, he entered Nave Studios with producer Mark Gustafson, creating more complete songs than ever before. The process was so cathartic for Donnelly that he went on to name the album after the social club that once existed in the basement below the aforementioned studio.
S.T. Manville is a singer-songwriter from the Midlands. He has written and produced for artists such as Burna Boy, Mabel, Mø and Jaykae to name a few.
After some time away from the music industry he returned in 2019 with his most personal musical offerings, released under his own name. Since then, Manville has clocked up over three million streams, been supported by BBC Radio 1, BBC 6 Music, BBC Introducing, DIY Mag, i-d Magazine, Kerrang! and more, performed at Dot to Dot and Handmade Festival as well as supported Frank Turner.
2020 saw a sold-out UK co-headline tour and bookings for several UK and European festivals.
This year Manville has released sublime single Stalemate and played shows throughout September with the likes of Willy Tea Taylor, winning new fans everywhere he goes with his honest, open table approach to performing and heart warming lyrics.
With a new EP, and a tour with OWEN scheduled for late 2021, Manville continues to make a name for himself as one of the most promising new singer-songwriters in the UK.
