Rising US Reggae band The Elovaters (formerly The Cornerstone) are currently on an extensive 30 date tour across several states to promote there album “Endless Summer” which debuted at No. 4 on the US Billboard Reggae Albums chart. The album released July 28, 2023 by Belly Full Records/Ineffable Music Group sold 2000 equivalent units in its first week of release. Of that sum, 900 copies were in pure sales and 2 million in on-demand streams according to data received by WMV from Luminate. The album has sold a total of 12,000 over its lifetime and has 15 million on demand streams.
World Music Views® caught up with the Boston, Massachusetts reggae rock band while they were in between gigs to talk about their latest chart achievements and early years in the music business.
Congratulations on the success of your latest album “Endless Summer”! Can you tell us about the inspiration behind the title and theme of the album?
The name “Endless Summer” came from a song Jackson and his friend [songwriter/producer] Nick Bailey wrote. Just the idea of living life like an Endless Summer. Whether that means chasing the sun or bringing the right mindset, we felt it’s was a good representation of the album’s sound and a good message to push out to our fans.
“Endless Summer” debuted at No. 4 on the US Billboard reggae chart. How does the band feel about this achievement, and what does it mean for your music journey?
We’ve had a lot of goals achieved and passed with this album’s release. For us it is a testament to the continuous love and hard work we pour into The Elovaters. Music and fans are such a symbiotic relationship and we are humbled that our music is being understood and enjoyed by people out there.
The album features singles like “All Her Favorite Songs” and “Sunlight.” Could you share the creative process behind these tracks and how they fit into the album’s overall narrative?
There wasn’t an overall mission or narrative going into the album. The focus was just to try and write really good songs that our audience would love. Jackson worked on demos of these songs with a very talented writer Nick Bailey in Nashville and from there the rest of the band really turned up the magic and completed what our fam base knows to be the “Elovaters sound”.
Were there any challenges or unique experiences you encountered while creating “Endless Summer” that stood out during the recording process?
We got to record the majority of the album at a gorgeous studio named Sonic Ranch in Tornillo, Tx. It’s beyond epic, sitting on 5,000 acres of pecan fields and owned by an incredibly creative guy named Tony Rancich. Tony’s attention to collecting gorgeous vintage gear and his willingness to let the bands recording their use it is magic.
The album showcases a diverse range of collaborations and sounds. How did these collaborations come about, and how do they contribute to the album’s musical diversity?
Collabs pretty much always just happen naturally. We build with other bands that we love or an artist we can just hear on the song. From there it’s all about reaching out!
“Endless Summer” seems to have a different vibe compared to your previous works. Can you discuss any artistic or sonic evolutions the band underwent while creating this album?’
As mentioned previously a lot of these songs were written in a demo form with Nick Bailey, the focus was creating really strong songs and then working on those. Having aspects of those demos like electronic drums and other cool sonic scapes blended really well with what we have already always done with our instruments. Also we are all becoming better at our crafts and I think that shines through with each album.
Could you share a memorable moment or anecdote from the recording or production of “Endless Summer” that left a lasting impact on the band?⁃ Big props to our producer Danny Kalb and Sonic Ranch. They made made the creative process very easy and creatively inviting.
Taking it back to your beginnings, can you share the story of how The Elovaters came together and what inspired the decision to rebrand from your original name?
It didn’t really impact us in any way other than the name changed! We had to change it early on because another band from Austria was called “Cornerstone” they actually sent in complaints to iTunes and Spotify and had our album taken down lol. So we had to pivot really quickly and come up with a new band name. But we still called the album The Cornerstone so that fans could still find the music.
The Elovaters emerged from Marshfield, Massachusetts. How did your hometown’s environment shape your musical style, especially considering you create warm weather reggae?
Well, we all come from a very summer focused area in the country. It gets ice cold in the winters and all we wait for are those gorgeous summer months. Along with that mentality comes the style of music we all grew up on and the vibe we all grew up on. Those aspects are what lead to the sound of The Elovaters.
“Defy Gravity” marked a significant milestone in your career, debuting at No. 1 on Billboard’s Reggae chart. Can you reflect on the journey that led to this achievement and the impact it had on the band’s trajectory?
It was a very important early milestone to achieve. It showed us that we could actually do this and gave us the courage to put 100 percent of our energies into making our childhood dreams actually happen.
Over the years, The Elovaters have collaborated with various artists and released EPs, albums, and live recordings. How has this journey of musical exploration contributed to your growth as a band?
One of the aspects of our genre we love the most is the sense of brotherhood and openness to collaborations. It makes such a loving and family vibe amongst all the bands and certainly leads to creating killer music with all our brothers and sisters.
“Castles,” your third full-length album, showcased a more eclectic direction. How did you approach experimenting with different styles while maintaining your reggae roots?
Castles came from the COVID years of no touring, bringing in a lot of different styles of writing. When we went to record with [producer] Johnny Cosmic, similar to this album, we just wanted to focus on what were the best songs we had in the pile. We also had enough time there to do a lot of creating in the studio. We always know what our band’s vibe is but haven’t ever been overly worried about only nailing one genre on our albums. It’s more about the mood and vibe for us.
From your early days to now, what has been the most rewarding aspect of being a part of The Elovaters, both in terms of musical expression and connecting with your audience?
Those are both closely intertwined. Our biggest reward is getting to write music and watch our fanbase grow. It’s extremely rewarding watching people love what you love to do so much. It’s been super organic as well, so year after year we can see that steady growth and feel honored by everyone out there listening to our albums.
