Elmer to release new and third EP ELMERS

Elmer, the alter-ego of Merel Pauw, will release her new EP ELMERS on 27 October. The EP was created with producer Steven Ivo and mixed and mastered by Darius Timmer and Tessa Rose Jackson (Someone). The new single Fantastisch is out now.

Elmer combines her love for hip-hop with provocative rawness, disarming honesty and the colorful world of comic books in a shameless act that brings a long-awaited breath of fresh air to the Dutch hip-hop scene. Elmer is inspired by Peaches, Mr.Oizo and De Jeugd Van Tegenwoordig. On ELMERS, Elmer splits into three different Elmers. With this, the rapper wants to highlight the different, sometimes contradictory, character traits that can exist in one person. Each of the three Elmers has its own style, sound, opinion and relationship to the audience. These Elmers can therefore be heard in various capacities on ELMERS and seen in staged content on social media. During the live shows, the three Elmers will merge into one person. On the EP, Elmer makes a plea for people who consist of several people, and is therefore allowed to contradict themself, make mistakes, and cannot be framed. This becomes audible on the single Ik Weiger, which was released earlier.

"This EP was made in three weeks. How we managed that, I don't really know either. Steven and I know each other through and through, we challenge each other and bring out the best in each other. One of my favorite moments during the making process is when we made the chorus of Fantastisch. The lyrics, about my late mother, just rolled out, and we were dancing in my bedroom to maybe the saddest lyrics I've ever written. We were able to make music about a theme that is so precarious and that is so close to my heart. That moved me. Many tracks were also lost in those three chaotic weeks. You still owe me the song Piemol Colada." - said Elmer

ELMERS is the successor to the EP Ekster (2022) and the EP Nothing Ontploffing (2023). With this new release, the rapper wants to shape a fabricated, theatrical world, in order to give a counter sound to artists who pretend to be 'themselves' on stage and/or by social media. In this colorful, quirky hip-hop world, we see an artist who admits that everything around them is made up and makes a case for the complexity of humans.

The new single Fantastisch is about ignoring a grieving process. About dancing, drinking and celebrating life, while shouting very loudly: why should I mourn now? I'm doing great, right? “Secretly I doubted for a long time whether I should release this song. I am currently in the process of making my mother, who passed away 10 years ago, part of my life again after years of pushing her away. Despite the cheerfulness of the song, there is a lot of pain in this song for me. Still, I'm glad I decided to release this song. I've managed to put into words something I've never done before, and I'm proud of that. And my mother probably too." - Elmer.

Live:

• 28 July - Totaalfestival, Bladel
• 29 July - Memento Festival, Goch (DE)
• 3 Aug - De Parade, Utrecht
• 4 Aug - ELMERS OPEN HOUSE (Pride), Melkweg, Amsterdam
• 5 Aug - Pride Buitenland, Zandpol
• 9 aug - Festival Boulevard (with DJ hond Skipper), Den Bosch
• 31 Aug - Kick-Off (with DJ hond Skipper), Deventer
• 23 Sept - Kempenerpop (with DJ hond Skipper), Waalre
• 13 Oct - Rainbow Ball Vorstin, Hilversum
• 9 Nov - V11 (with DJ hond Skipper), Rotterdam (Sold out)
• 16 Nov - Ekko @ Nijverheid (with DJ hond Skipper), Utrecht
• 17 Nov - Rotown (with DJ hond Skipper), Rotterdam
• 30 Nov - Luxor Live (with DJ hond Skipper), Arnhem
• 7 Dec - Paradiso (with DJ hond Skipper), Amsterdam