Elle Belle is the alter-ego of award-winning composer/songwriter Christopher Pappas. His debut record WAKO GUMBO, a sprawling 20-song double LP, was released in 2016 to critical acclaim.
Pappas grew up in rural New Hampshire, where he started the band The Everyday Visuals. After relocating to Boston, the band began to amass a cult-like following of fellow musicians and fans attracted to Pappas’ penchant for vocal harmonies and catchy left-of-center songwriting. He moved to Los Angeles in 2010, where he met Pierre de Reeder, bassist for the venerable L.A. band Rilo Kiley, and signed to his label Little Record Company that year.
Mixed with various genres including psych-rock, soft-rock, pop, and electronic, Elle Belle continues Pappas’ knack for rich, intricate songwriting. Incredibly prolific and versatile, Pappas has written music for NASA, has a musical slated to go off-Broadway, and assembled his own 27-piece orchestra to perform his original orchestral works. Elle Belle released his latest full-length album How Do I Feel? in 2023, but has continued his prolific streak with a string of singles set for release this year.
Today Glide is excited to offer an exclusive premiere of one of those singles, “Stranger in a Strange Land.” Incorporating folk-pop, Americana, and a quiet indie rock sound, the song is a reflective work that shines with warm harmonies, thoughtful lyrics that are simple and resonant, and an infectious melody. Coming in at under three minutes, this brief but impactful tune showcases Pappas’ ability to write poignant lyrics over inviting and imminently listenable music.
Christopher Pappas describes the inspiration behind the tune:
“I feel a loneliness in the distance between two people. I’m typing these words now trying to describe a feeling, and you’re reconstructing the feeling whole cloth in your own head. There will never be a way to show exactly how I feel. This chasm of semantics between us is always there. Language is a rickety bridge, and we try to cross it over the span. But then, in the sea of darkness, you find someone who makes you feel like they’re standing right next to you holding your hand.”
LISTEN:
