“Liminality.” You know Elder are thinking on a different level when your humble scribe has to Google what the title of the first track even means: “the transitional period or phase of a rite of passage, during which the participant lacks social status or rank, remains anonymous, shows obedience and humility, and follows prescribed forms of conduct, dress, etc.” Just in case anyone was unclear.
At the end of 2024, Elder regrouped in Berlin after a much-needed breather. Years of relentless touring had taken their toll, and left in the background were fragments of music that had been sketched out somewhere between “Omens” (2020) and “Innate Passage” (2022). They never belonged on either record, but now they’ve found their moment.
What was supposed to be a low-key studio session quickly became something far greater. The result is “Liminality / Dream State Revisited,” an ambitious 18-minute piece that stitches together Elder’s past and future. Stream-of-consciousness lyrics, sprawling instrumental passages—it’s all here, catching the band in a transitional phase, exploring the “in-between” with both intimacy and grandeur.
It’s indicative of just how special Elder are. Their music is intellectual without being pretentious, pulling you from heavy grooves into gorgeous psych passages with ease. “Liminality” is a beautiful 13 minutes—perhaps one only the band truly understands, but one to which everyone is warmly invited.
Things get positively trippy on the slow-building, hypnotic “Dream State Revisited.” An instrumental piece with an electronic tinge, it unfolds with patience and purpose, and the result is nothing short of glorious.
Elder remain in a world of their own, and “Liminality / Dream State Revisited” proves once again that they thrive in the spaces between.
