Eli Hansen (Real Numbers)
What are your top five albums that were released in 2021? (In order 1-5)
- Cindy - 1:2
- Rachel Love - Picture In Mind
- Umbrellas - Umbrellas
- v/a - Driftless Dreamers
- Goon Sax - Mirror II
What band did you discover in 2021 (can be a brand new band or an older band) that had an impact on your life? What made them significant?
Linda Smith - Despite us being on the same label (Slumberland) as one of her singles I had never heard Linda Smith's music until Captured Tracks released the Till Another Time compilation LP in March. What makes her music significant to me is it's simplicity, catchiness and unusualness -- pop songs done in a UK DIY-style except from early '90s Baltimore. And I swear I hear some Devo influence in there too.
How will you remember 2021? (In terms of music)
Our Brighter Then EP came out in March and the response was very positive!
What can we look forward to from you in 2022?
We have another batch of songs that we'll be recording in 2022. It will also be the year we return to playing live. It's just Sophie and I at the moment (and sometimes Jeff) so the live experience is pretty minimal, and we can't play as many new songs as we'd like to, but we still think it sounds quite good stripped down to guitar, synth, and drum machine.
What records are you looking forward to most in 2022?
Excited to see what recently-relocated-to-Oakland Lynn Avery of Iceblink has in store for us in 2022.
What went through your head the first time you played live in 2021 after the delay? (If you haven’t -- what do you anticipate when you hit that point?)
We have not yet returned to live, in person, music. Our last show was 11/5/2019 @ the 7th St. Entry w/ Lisa Prank which feels like, and actually was, a very long time ago. We did do a live streamed performance in March 2021 for the New Colossus Festival and will be playing the Festival again, for real, in person, in NYC in March 2022.
Eli Hansen – social media links
- Instagram: @real.numbers
