Ellis Piper is Adjacent to Alright
Ellis Piper is Adjacent to Alright
"I’ve definitely been guilty of all-consuming nostalgia many a time. I think there’s a place for that, and I’m never going to fault myself for that, but I’d like to write more about the present"
A common expression amongst humans is “fake it till you make it.” Mustard had no idea what this expression meant until they spoke with New York singer-songwriter and multi-instrumenatlist Ellis Piper. This is a new concept for Mustard. Sometimes, humans need to lie to themselves (and potentially a future employer) in order to get ahead. Faking it they have learned is a complicated task. The human must find it from within themselves to put on a show of sorts. Perhaps they act more confident than they feel or they embellish a story to impress someone else. These are examples of “faking it till you make it.”
Ellis Piper has been making music since they were in high school. Since then they have released a handful of whimsicial and folsky indie pop music that highlights Piper’s biggest aspiration: to be a storyteller. Through their music they want to be seen and have you as a listener feel seen as well. Listen to any of Piper’s discography and you will see that that their aspiration has been fulfilled. Ellis Piper creates and writes relatable and capitvating stories in their music. On their second official album, Adjacent to Alright, Piper explores the themes of loss in its various forms.
In our interview below; Mustard and Ellis had the pleasure of discussing their newest album along with apple juice, folding laundry, their creative process, and much more!
1. Mustard is grateful and appreciative to have you join them at Music Shelf. How are you doing today?
I’m doing well today! I’m so thankful to be able to say that. Life has been kind to me lately; I’ve been eating and sleeping and getting fresh air and stretching my limbs. You know, Mustard, so much of human happiness is dependent on meeting the most basic of physical needs, and I can’t believe how often I forget that. Lately I’ve been remembering, though. Thank you so much for having me here, it’s an honor!
2. Mustard has observed that you are an apple juice enthusiast. Do you have a favorite brand of apple juice? What is needed to make good quality apple juice? Have you ever made homemade apple juice?
I’m not too picky! I think there’s inherent good in all apple juice, or at least most. There’s a time and place for everything, you know? A little plastic cup of sugary concentrate during a flight suits me just fine. I do have a soft spot for Martinelli’s sparkling juice, though - that’s my holiday beverage of choice. It’s just so festive. And Trader Joe’s does a cozy apple cider with lots of spices, which is just wonderful to sip as the autumn evening settles in.
3. Your favorite apple juice brand just listened to Adjacent to Alright. They reach out to you via electronic mail and want you to create a jingle for their brand. Do you accept this offer? What would an Ellis Piper apple juice themed jingle sound like?
Hmm. I think it would definitely be something warm and cozy sounding - lots of little nylon guitar and vocal layers. Maybe something spoken word? That could be fun. Maybe a little poem. A limerick?
There once was a juice so delicious
That to taste it felt almost fictitious;
A beverage so sweet
And tart and complete
That even the cups knew the diff’rence.
4. They have also observed you are a singer-songwriter. When did you first begin writing songs? Could you share more about your creative process?
I’ve been making music for as long as I can remember, but the storytelling part started a little later, when I was about 16. I started having more teenage angst than I knew what to do with, and channeled that into writing songs. I’m still thankful for how songwriting pushes me to unpack my feelings, comb through them, and bundle them neatly into little packages of lyrics. It’s helped me find closure in many a situation ever since, and I like having something to show for my little experiences.
Lately, though, the sad songs have been fewer and further between. I think I got most of those out of my system with Adjacent to Alright, and recently I’ve been writing a lot of love songs and a lot of lighthearted, sillier ones. I’m hoping to lean more into writing novelty songs and such - I think I have more of a sense of humor than I’ve historically given myself credit for, and I’d love to let that shine through a bit more. :)
5. Who (or what) influences Ellis Piper?
Well, in the early days of my Internet presence, I was definitely doing my best to emulate my favorite musicians who got their start online: people like dodie, mxmtoon, and cavetown. I’m sure that’s a pretty common answer, and for good reason! I think that for many of us, musicians like these were our first introduction to the idea that you could build a community on social media and become a real musician, and posting online in that style seemed like an accessible first step toward fame and glory that I, as a starry-eyed little broke high schooler, could take.
Nowadays, those inspirations are still there and strong as ever, but I’ve added plenty of others as well. I realized that my style was being subconsciously influenced by the musicians I grew up listening to, and decided to make those influences conscious. When I was small, my mom kept the car stocked with CDs of James Taylor, John Denver, and Peter, Paul & Mary, and I still listen to those and similar artists regularly. I have such a soft spot in my heart for folksy little melodies along those lines.
6. One playlist your music can be found on is "the world is not in your books and maps, it's out there." Do you agree with this thesis? Would you say this playlist accurately represents your music?
I think that’s true! I’ve lived my whole life in the same place, and moved across the country just last month. It’s been a lot of change really fast, but it’s been pushing me to grow and adjust, and I think I’ve been aching for that. It’s good to be exploring new things. This series of new adventures has definitely been getting me out of my shell and allowing me to see myself in new ways that I’d barely even considered. I feel like there’s so much more I’m allowed to be, so much more space I’m allowed to take up, so much more capacity for love in my heart. It’s a real delight.
I think that much of my music, at least what I’ve released so far, is about looking back. I’ve definitely been guilty of all-consuming nostalgia many a time. I think there’s a place for that, and I’m never going to fault myself for that, but I’d like to write more about the present and the future. I’m looking forward now. It’s not as scary to do that these days - not as blindingly uncertain. Still uncertain, yes, but I’m nervous only in the fun ways.
7. If you could ask a cloud any question what would it be?
I think that most of the time I find myself staring at the sky, it’s because something in my life is uncertain. I look to the sky for solace because the sky is always the sky. Whether it’s sunny or rainy, day or night, the sky’s always there, giving us open space above our heads. There’s always a wide expanse beyond any day-to-day weather, and that’s immensely comforting to me. So I think if I asked a cloud a question, it would be, “Is it clear above the clouds?” And the best part is that I already know the answer.
8. In 2018 you released your debut album overture which features clouds as the album cover. Could you share what it was like to put this album together? What do clouds represent to you?
Oh, that process was… well, barely even a process. It was my senior year of high school, and I decided on a whim that I wanted to make an album, just for fun. I gave myself less than a month to put the whole thing together - writing, recording, producing, uploading. Given those constraints, I think it turned out alright, but also, never again, haha. There’s a stray mouse click that can be heard in one of the tracks, and that haunts me forever.
These days, I think I’ve over-corrected a little bit into perfectionism with my album-making process. My production knowledge is so minimal, so means-to-an-end, that I spend longer than I’d like to on making sure everything is juuuust right. I think I’ve learned a lot, but it’s cost me just a sliver of sanity. I write so much faster than I record, and that’s resulting in a serious backlog of pretty decent songs!
9. As a condiment Mustard wonders: how do you make a paper plane? Do these planes also come with delays?
Hold on, I don’t think I can explain this very well without a tutorial. Here you go!
10. You followed up your album overture with a regular and deluxe version of dear diary. Were these songs inspired by your actual journal entries?
You know, not as much as you might expect! I think that a lot of my songs are more personal than my journal entries, which tend to focus on the day-to-day. I like documenting the mundane and being able to read back on all the little details of a day I had a few years ago. I save the big revelations and processing for my songs.
11. Mustard is curious: how do you dream?
I haven’t been dreaming as much lately as I used to! Or more accurately, I don’t think I’m remembering as many of my dreams when I wake up. I wonder if that’s something I can re-train. It’s certainly not a priority for me at this point or anything, I have a lot on my plate, but I think I would prefer to remember more! So that’s a long-winded way of saying I don’t think I’m an expert on the subject of dreams, but I’d like to be.
12. Mustard noticed a trend amongst your volume collection. Each collection features hands in prominent focus. What do these hands symbolize to you? How do they play a role in each volume?
The biggest reason for the hands is logistical: as I mentioned earlier, I’m definitely a bit of a perfectionist, and I have an overwhelming and constant fear that I’ll grow to regret everything I’ve ever put into the world a few years later. I’m hesitant to put my face on album covers for that reason. I still want the album covers to be eye-catching, though, and specific to me, so I include my hands to give them a personal touch.
It’s a little counterintuitive to feature them so prominently, though: I’m a little insecure about how my hands look. They’re a little wrinkly. I’m trying to accept and embrace them just as they are, because they’re certainly not getting any smoother! It helps to think about how much they’ve helped me throughout my life. They’ve played so many notes on so many instruments, typed out so many words, held my steering wheel for so many miles, cooked so many meals, folded so much laundry. I’m thankful to them for being my little buddies.
13. Mustard wonders: what brings Ellis Piper comfort?
I know this is an expected and probably very cheesy answer, but music! There’s a song out there for almost every occasion, and if I can’t find one that’ll do, I write one myself. I like finding solace in others’ songs, and I like when others find solace in mine. It’s truly the most special thing to me when I’m feeling a little unsteady on my feet.
Otherwise, I’m partial to food, particularly food that’s temperatures (warm soup or cold ice cream are such sensory delights). I adore a scalding hot shower at the end of a long day, followed by a soft set of pajamas and an interesting video essay to keep my thoughts occupied while I do something artsy-craftsy with my hands. Lately, I really like scrapbooking and making friendship bracelets. I’ve been enjoying being a little adventurer, but I think I’m a homebody at heart.
14. Earlier this year you released your newest album Adjacent to Alright. When did you first begin working on this project? What was it like putting this album together?
I began working on this project shortly after the release of my previous album reaching for the sun - I think it must have been around October of 2022 - and it was a long and grueling process. The songs themselves took a lot out of me to write, as they deal with some pretty heavy feelings I was having about growing up and facing the big postgrad unknown.
I ended up releasing the album on the 17th of May 2024 (my favorite number is 17, and so I picked the date because I wanted a Friday the 17th, you know, for good luck). It was such a tough few months leading up to that. My personal life took a sharp turn for the worse deep that winter, and I threw myself into making the album while also trying to graduate college on time and with good grades. Miraculously, it all worked out just fine, but I’m so incredibly thankful that I get to rest more these days.
15. Mustard loves listening to albums from start to end. Could you share more about how you decided to structure this release? What type of emotions do you hope this album evokes to listeners?
I was very intentional with the tracklist of this album, as I felt that the songs told one cohesive story in that order. It was never really a question how the tracks would be ordered; the tracklist I ended up with is the only one that made sense to me.
Admittedly, Adjacent is quite a sad album. It deals with loss in many forms: loss of youth and innocence, loss of mental stability, loss of loved ones, loss of the concept of self. It’s also an album about standing up tall, putting on a big smile, and faking it till you make it.
16. Your previous releases have featured both open and closed hands as the cover. The cover art for this album shows you with your fingers crossed. Could you share what you were hoping for while creating the album art? How did these hopes (or desires) inspire the prelude that opens the album?
A lot of this album, to me, is about telling myself that I’m going to be alright and everything’s going to work out even if it feels like I’m lying to myself; it’s about exercising optimism until it’s second nature. So to me, that’s mainly what the crossed fingers are about. And I think that’s a very hopeful sentiment: that no matter what, I’m going to keep pushing on with whatever strength I can gather. I think those feelings were definitely echoed in the making of the album. It was an uphill climb to get these songs to light, and I’m so glad they made it out into the world. Throughout this album is that overarching, stubbornly persistent hope that everything’s going to be okay. And I think it will be. :’)
17. Mustard has observed that humans have a love/hate relationship with laundry. How does Ellis Piper feel about laundry?
Ellis Piper feels pretty okay about laundry! Especially when it’s in-unit. At my current apartment, there’s no laundry in the building and I have to walk around the corner to the laundromat, which feels impossibly far away sometimes despite being just down the block. I’ve found that having good company helps. Most things in life are easier with a friend. I think I get caught up in the ceaselessness of chores; it feels like no matter what I do, there will always be more laundry and more dishes, just as a byproduct of living. But then I remember I get to live! And more laundry means more warm clean clothes, and more dishes mean more delicious meals.
18. You can perform your music in any forest in the world. Which forest do you go to and why? When did you first develop a connection with nature?
Oh, I have an answer for this one! I’d love to go to the aspen forest in Sevier County, Utah. I say forest, but I actually mean tree - yes, singular - because it’s just one organism. It’s called Pando and it’s the largest living organism that we know of! All the roots are connected, and all the new stems sprout up from this preexisting root system. Because of this, all the leaves turn a gorgeous gold color at the exact same time every autumn. The system can also withstand fires very well, because they’re water heavy, and if that’s not enough, the roots will remain alive under the ground in the event that a fire destroys the stems. I know that’s kind of a long-winded answer; thanks for listening to my rambles!
I’ve always really loved nature. I think most of us do, even if we don’t all make it a defining part of our personalities. To me, there are few things more refreshing than taking a deep breath of crisp country air, and few things more cathartic than standing outside in the rain.
19. A human invites their friend to see Ellis Piper perform. What four words best describe your live performances?
You know, I don’t perform live a whole lot! I’ve gone to an open mic here and there, but live events haven’t really been a focus for me yet. I would love that to change, though. I’m hoping that now that I’m out of school, I’ll have a little more time and energy to devote to that. Aspirationally, though, I’d love it if my performances were joyous, healing, and deeply silly.
20. What is on the horizon for Ellis Piper?
I think it’s going to be love songs next. A whole unabashed, indulgent, honey-sweet album of them.
21. Where can readers listen to your music?
You can find absolutely everything Ellis Piper right here: https://linktr.ee/ellispipermusic.
Music Shelf with Mustard is a publication that interviews independent musicians from all across the globe. It is read in 39 states and 38 countries. Check out previous interviews here.
Music Shelf with Mustard originally began in early 2021. Inspired by independent musicians on social media application TikTok Mustard knew they had to do something to help share their music. Shortly after Music Shelf with Mustard was born. Its goal is to highlight independent artists from all across the globe. Mustard appreciates you taking the time out to read this interview.
This illustration!
Wow. Listening to the album, she's very good, thanks for sharing Mustardo!