Elizabeth & The Catapult: “Like It Never Happened”

The Elizabeth behind Elizabeth & The Catapult is a classically trained pianist with a penchant for jazz and pop music named Elizabeth Ziman. In 2002 she was studying classical composition at Boston’s Berklee College of Music when singer Patti Austin came through the school looking for back-up singers. Ziman toured with Austin for a year-and-a-half. After the tour was over, Ziman got together with drummer Danny Molad and guitarist Peter Lalish (both now in the band Lucius). The trio released Elizabeth & The Catapult’s self-titled debut in 2006. The group decamped from New York to Omaha to record their next album, 2009’s Taller Children, with producer Mike Mogis. Lalish exited the band before recording commenced on the group’s third full-length, 2010’s The Other Side of Zero.

A little over three years later, on January 21, Elizabeth & The Catapult’s latest record Like It Never Happened hit the streets. In the interim, Molad also left the group (although he did help produce), but Ziman stayed pretty busy. She picked up the guitar, played drums on tour with Kishi Bashi, and helped score a few films. The new record’s title track has something mystical about it. A bedrock beat keeps the song moving, but there’s a very interesting little rhythmic and melodic tick that repeats throughout the song. There’s something in the way that Ziman sings over it that’s incredibly enticing, like she’s reciting an incantation. It’s almost as if she’s asking you to join her on a long journey. You’re gonna go, even if you don’t know where you’ll end up. She also layers in subtle electronic effects, adding to the enigmatic air.

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