Philippine’s indie band Ourselves the Elves are more than just cute on their single Okay Okay I’m Wrong I’m Sorry.

“Cute” is an easy conclusion to jump to when you hear the feminine vocals and Best Coast pop vibes of Ourselves the Elves. But as singer Aly Cabral has described in a past interview with Status Magazine, “We appreciate it if [the audience] genuinely thinks we’re cute and all, but we like to think that we’re more than that.”

To simply describe Ourselves the Elves as cute would be a great shame. It would skip over their vivid lyricism of love found and love lost and all the bittersweet pieces in between. It would miss the band’s chemistry which delivers a magnetism and minimalism that’s a simple joy to listen to.

With the backdrop of a steady drum machine, the 4-piece swoons of a one-sided relationship. “I always pretend that I’m wrong / so we won’t fight over who’s right.” The lyrics tell a relationship so toxic, and yet, like the mesmerising melody of their song, something hopeful and captivating. Aly’s vocal vulnerability doesn’t cry of pity or self-loathing, instead serves as power to express a heartbreaking truth.

Ourselves the Elves find their depth in sentimental storytelling through deceptively smooth pop melodies. It’s been a couple of years since their last EP release Geography Lessons, so we can’t wait for more tracks from this 4-piece band.

Stream Ourselves the Elves’ single Okay Okay I’m Wrong I’m Sorry on Spotify or buy the digital track from their Bandcamp.

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