Ellescriv wants to say a little Longer in your arms in her romantically rootsy and intimately personal new single — showcasing today on Tinnitist.
A preview of the B.C. folk-rock singer-songwriter’s upcoming album Wandering The Pine, Longer reflects a period of her life where Ellescriv (real name: Lorissa Scriven) pined for love. Anchored by the ringing reverberations of her fingerpicked acoustic guitar — and decorated with pedal steel flourishes that glide around her yearning vocals, and a band that kicks in on the heartfelt choruses — Ellescriv reminisces about the tender touch of a loved one who made time stand still:
“Alll wrapped up in your arms
Tangled up in the dark
No intention of moving
There’s laughter pouring in from the street
The pulse of the city can’t compete with this
We tell ourselves we should go out
Do something worth writing about
But all I came to see is in this room
Can we stay a little longer
Sun goes down moon comes up
You’re like a spell I’m under.”
“You know that feeling right before you leave a place you traveled to — after days of clumsy uncertainty or awkward anxieties everything FINALLY starts to feel really good?” she asks. “Then its time to go home?! EVERY. DANG. TIME. You find yourself plotting ways to change your flight, while packing your suitcase, calling in a favor from your fave co-worker to see if you can stay just one more day because the sun finally came out… That’s the feeling I had when I wrote Longer, except bonus: I thought I was in love. This strange phenomenon can really trick you. Everything is romantic when your time is short.”
Not that she’s been wasting any. Scriven’s distinctive brand of earthy folk has its roots deep in the river valleys of northern British Columbia, where she grew steeped in music and wild places. Among the spruce and aspen of her hometown, this Saulteau Nations woman found songs spontaneously happening inside her as naturally as a river flowing.
With a fresh name, Ellescriv will releases her new album May 31. Wandering The Pine pays homage to the wild places where she dreams — a stand of pines behind her house, and the Pine River, which threads her hometown to the hometown of her sweetheart and musical partner Matt Stanyer. Parts of the album were recorded in collaboration with Stanyer at her cabin in Taylor, and others with producer Jane Aurora on Bowen Island and in Vancouver.
The album is a soulful dedication to lost and found love of all kinds. The sound is alt-folk with hints of country and a slight indie-rock edge. Ellescriv’s ethereal lyricism weaves rich stories of longing buoyed by moments of quiet tenderness; cool and sweet, it’s like a walk barefoot in the pines.
“Wandering The Pine is my heart, a wistful journey, love lost and found,” she says. “I carried these songs with me as I found my way to my person and he’s been a big part of shaping these songs into what they are today. It’s this really neat full-circle healing moment to be peacefully closing the door on those uncertain feelings alongside someone who is helping you honour them.”
Scriven released her first album Be the Change — imbued with her wild soul and inspired by nature — with producer and friend Josh Rob Gwilliam in 2010. She has toured extensively, with highlights including B.C. festivals like Peace Valley Folk Fest, Edge Of The World and 2 Rivers Remix.
Ellescriv’s life is imbued with creative magic; she chooses to be inspired every day, whether by a fleeting moment of light, or a wayward feather found in the woods. She’s working hard at breathing life into her dreams, and making some potent music along the way.
Check out Longer above, hear more from Lorissa Scriven below, and pine with Ellescriv on her website, Twitter, Instagram, TikTok and Facebook.
