ELISABETH ELEKTRA releases her long-awaited second album, “Hypersigil” on Friday, June 6th, 2025. Recorded over the last two years with frequent collaborator Jonny Scott (Chvrches, The Kills), “Hypersigil” is a tour de force of magic, empowerment, and self-realisation. RESOUND caught up with Elisabeth to discuss the album.
Hello Elisabeth! How are you as the release date for you new album ‘Hypersigil’ approaches?
Hi! I’m feeling a mix of excitement and nerves, which I think is pretty normal. This album has been such a deep personal creative journey, and now that it’s finally making its way into the world, there’s definitely both anticipation and vulnerability. I don’t think a lot of music fans realise how much emotion releasing music stirs up in artists – you’ve put everything into a piece of work for years, and suddenly it’s out there, no longer just yours. It’s a strange experience. But equally amazing to hear from people who connect with and understand what you’re doing. I’m so proud of what I’ve done with ‘Hypersigil’, and I can’t wait for people to hear it.
This is your second album after debut ‘Mercurial’ released back in 2020. How did the writing and recording process differ this time round?
With ‘Mercurial’, a lot of it was about discovery, experimenting with sounds and tentatively figuring out what my voice could be as a songwriter and solo artist. ‘Hypersigil’ feels much more intentional. I worked really hard to deepen my production knowledge and skills so I could shape the sound exactly the way I wanted. It’s a very personal record, it feels more precise, more distilled, more direct. I wanted to make a fun, weird, dark pop record, and I think I’ve achieved that.
As a follow up, how do you decide on the collaborators that you work with and how did they influence the direction the songs took? I believe one song started off as more a piano ballad but ended up very different?
Most of the songs on ‘Hypersigil’ were actually quite fleshed out by the time I brought them into the studio. I tend to write and produce pretty detailed demos before collaborating. When I started working with Jonny, it was really about enhancing and refining the world I’d already started building.
I decided to ask if he wanted to work together cause I loved the work he’s done with Helen Marnie from Ladytron, and thankfully he was up for it. Jonny’s so much fun to work with, really intuitive and committed, and he worked hard to help realise my vision without diluting it.
That said, ‘Poison’ was a bit of an outlier. It began as a sparse piano ballad, very raw and emotional, totally different from the final version. Jonny took the production lead on that one and transformed it into something completely unexpected, it’s the only track on the album that ended up sounding nothing like my original demo and I really love it. It was a great example of trusting the process and seeing where collaboration can take a song, and letting go of some of my control freak tendencies.
Your music has a definite feel of grandeur and drama about it with the new album moving into a darker more Gothic direction whilst still maintaining the spiritual and pop sensibilities seen in your earlier work. Who are/were your main musical influences growing up that continue to inspire?
Thank you – grandeur and drama are things I love in music. Early on I was really into artists like The Knife, Björk, Kate Bush and Bat for Lashes – people who were pushing boundaries and creating these immersive, otherworldly landscapes while having really strong songwriting at their core. I also loved artists like Siouxie, Depeche Mode, The Sisters of Mercy, etc, they brought a strong sense of atmosphere, and drama, into their music. That combination of the ethereal and the dramatic has always drawn me in.
I’ve always been inspired by music that feels like it opens a portal, and I think ‘Hypersigil’ carries that same energy. Maybe slightly mystical, but it’s still rooted in trad pop songwriting. While we were recording it Jonny and I listened to lots of Lorde, NIN, Rihanna, Lady Gaga, Madonna and Depeche Mode.
I touched on the drama of the songs and that really comes across in the videos released with the singles. As an artist, it seems the visual aspect and crafting the videos is a key part of the music release journey for you?
Absolutely. For me, the visuals are an extension of the sound, they help complete the world. When I’m writing a song I usually get strong images in my mind that go along with them. Each video is a chance to expand the world of the song, to tell part of a larger narrative. I’m quite involved in the concepting and aesthetic direction, and I love working with directors and artists who get that these aren’t just music videos, they’re rituals, stories, dreamscapes. It’s important that everything feels cohesive and intentional. That said, videos are getting more expensive and I’m not sure how useful they are for artists at my level. This album would have come out a lot sooner if I hadn’t been saving up to make videos!
You have two live dates to mark the album release later this week. Do you have any plans to do more live dates as the year evolves?
Yes, definitely! These two shows were going to be special, a kind of ceremonial launch for the album. But I’ve sadly had to postpone the Cluny show until September cause I’ve not been well enough to rehearse.
But there are plans to play more as the year goes on, and some fun announcements soon.
I’d love to take ‘Hypersigil’ out to as many places as possible. Performing live is such a great experience it’s when the music becomes a shared moment. There’s something magical about that collective energy.
Finally, if Eurovision came knocking, would you take the chance to represent the UK and show how it’s done?
Haha, I’ll take that as a compliment. I think. This may come as a shock but I’ve never watched Eurovision. Although I think ABBA are one of the best pop groups of all time.
I would definitely do it, and I think I’d be great at it, but only if Israel were no longer competing.
Thank you!
Elisabeth Elektra headlines The Cluny, Newcastle on June 5th* and The Rum Shack, Glasgow on June 6th (note: the Newcastle date is to be rescheduled, original tickets will be valid for the new date).
“Hypersigil” is released on Occult Babes and will be available on three different coloured vinyl pressings from https://elisabethelektra.bandcamp.com/album/hypersigil.
The album is accompanied by its own sigil-building tool, created by Matt of Chaos Tarot and is available at https://elisabethelektra.com/
Elisabeth Elektra (IG: @elisabethelektramusic; Twitter/X: @elisaelektra)
Words by Geoff Shaw (IG: @gsmusicphotos)
Photos by Greta Kalva (IG: @greta_kalva)