ENOLA, the moniker for Naarm/Melbourne-based post-punk solo artist Ruby Marshall (they/them), is thrilled to announce their debut EP All Is Forgiven out 3rd November, and shares new single ‘Looking Back’ together with a music video directed by Oscar O’Shea.
Opening with running bass underpinning a melancholic hook, ‘Looking Back’ quickly moves to leverage shimmering guitars and masterful use of drums to communicate an urgent plea – “Stop wasting what you don’t have”. It’s a track about taking advantage of time, our most finite resource on an individual level, and the importance of showing ourselves a bit of compassion if we make mistakes in the process.
On the single, ENOLA shares “This song, to me, speaks of the need to be gentle on yourself, forgive yourself, forgive everyone and let go. You do not need to suffer or come close to your own mortality to truly appreciate the moment in front of you, life is too fleeting to hold onto so much guilt and shame, and things that no longer serve you.”
Also featuring ‘Metal Body’ and ‘Strange Comfort’ – their first two singles that have seen praise from all corners including BBC Radio 1, KEXP, TIDAL Rising, Sleaford Mods, and earned ENOLA a spot on the global NME100 among many others accolades.
The balance of a gnarled world-weariness with compassion evident on ‘Looking Back’ is echoed across the six tracks on All Is Forgiven. ENOLA’s hardened exterior that we hear in their songs, their voice, and see in their stage presence was forged during an incredibly tumultuous adolescence, coarsening after they left home at a young age where they faced years of uncertainty and instability. The juxtaposing softness is something that grew slowly over time; a flower blooming through split concrete. And now, the softness is the point. A hand reaching out, a heart determined to remain compassionate despite it all.
Taking inspiration from the upfront poetry of Patti Smith, the melancholic atmospherics of Joy Division and the snarling conviction of IDLES, ENOLA brings these influences into their full-band sound matched by their background in electronic music production. They teamed up with producer Bonnie Knight (Amyl and the Sniffers, Angie McMahon, Platonic Sex) to record All Is Forgiven at Naarm/Melbourne’s Soundpark Studios, and together with their band – Maya Alexandra (bass), Joshua Prendergast (guitar) and James Tyrell (drums) – were razor-focused on preserving the cathartic and intense energy of their live shows that have left a trail of fans in their wake: “To understand it, you gotta see it live,” Marshall insists.
ENOLA launched into Naarm/Melbourne’s music scene with their self-titled EP performing as Enola Gay in 2019, released via local champions of the underground Burning Rose. Across ENOLA’s recent singles ‘Strange Comfort’ and ‘Metal Body’ they’ve seen immense support internationally from BBC Radio 1, BBC Radio 6, Triple R, FBi Radio, Double J, TIDAL, NME, So Young Magazine, Pilerats, Demure, When The Horn Blows and more. Live, ENOLA is an enigmatic and captivating performer, holding their audiences close, and in 2023 alone have been hand-selected to support Sleaford Mods, Jen Cloher, RVG, Cash Savage and the Last Drinks, performed at Dark Mofo, RISING, Brunswick Music Festival and OK Motels among others. All that said, what drives ENOLA at their core, beyond reaching any particular sound, is their desire to reach people, “What moves me the most is a willingness to be vulnerable, and whatever you’re saying, for it to be really sincere.”
All Is Forgiven out 3rd November via Hell Beach/ONELOVE
Pre-save HERE
SXSW SYDNEY SHOWCASES
Friday 20 October @ 5:00PM – Rolling Stone – Powerhouse Museum Courtyard
Saturday 21 October @ 8:20PM – Dr Martens Presents… – The Chippo Hotel
TOUR DATES
Saturday 11 November – Luliepalooza – Naarm/Melbourne
15-18 May 2024 – The Great Escape – Brighton, UK
All Is Forgiven Tracklisting
1. Strange Comfort
2. Looking Back
3. Hurt
4. Miss You
5. Metal Body
6. Waves
