#FeatureFriday the seventh gate by Elly Kace

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“The 7th gate is a tender and fierce admission of my own mysticism. My last record explored grief spaces from a fresh pain perspective. This album leans into the light, the truth that nothing is destroyed or created, and the liminal space I find myself occupying when the veil feels thin. The words are a collection of intimate conversations with the ones I love who still haunt me, spells my soul is casting upon the spaces within myself that resist light, the ancestral whispers that silently control my life, and the desperate yearning of all parties involved to be seen and loved…”

To say that I love this album would be an understatement. It is a chill factory for the spine. Delicate, Beautiful, Devastating and Sublime. Perfectly executed fantasy pop, and ethereal soundscape with melodies to die for. I could keep this up you know, the superlatives could just tumble from this here keyboard until it crumbled to dust.

And it gets better with each listen. It allows space, it breathes, it’s alive, vibrant and full of soul. Music like this shouldn’t exist , but I am glad that it does. The arrangements are perfect but the vocals are on a level that makes the heartache with the beauty of it and the brain swirl with the audacity. It’s truly wonderful stuff. Impossible and yet…

There are plenty of comparisons to be made but they all seem redundant as the music and performances disagree with anything that would  prescribe it any way.

And yet…

It’s not that unique that it feels alien. It’s a confident trick to pull. It manages to be inspired and of it’s own yet totally familiar. A warm hug from a stranger.

All I can say at this point is take a listen.

Untidy Music

Elly Kace’s ‘The Seventh Gate’ is what I would describe as Ethereal Pop. They offer a subtle blend of electronic as well as organic sounds, layered in such a way that they sound as grand as they do laid back. The songs on offer all possess a rhythm like a river, at times a calm brook and other times possessing a slightly more wild and erratic flow.

And these are beautifully complemented by Elly’s angelic voice which fit the ethereal vibe here perfectly. They have some modulation going on here and there which add to the otherworldly vibe without going full glitch or taking away from their amazing vocal skills.

I refuse to compare them directly to other artists as what they do is entirely unique in my book but that being said, if you love your singer-songwriters to have a flair for esoteric theatricality while still being their authentic selves a la a Kate Bush or Florence and her Machine you surely are going to adore this record.

Eveyweveydevey

If I had only one word to describe Elly Kace’s “the seventh gate”, it would be “exquisite”. Luckily, I have a few more!

This album has a sound that is easy to get lost in. I’d call it splendidly polished alternative pop, but there are absolutely influences of genres like folk and classical in this as well. The arrangement is pretty simple, but layered very deeply, leading to a dense soundscape that rarely leaves unused spaces in the tracks. However, by making the choice to use lighter, brighter sounds overall, it avoids the impression of a “Wall of Sound”. I found repeated listens incredibly rewarding, as subtle details can be found in between the instrumental layers.

The real star of the show, however, are Elly’s vocals. Finding out after a little reading that she has had classical training isn’t a huge surprise, as she is able to project and sustain even extremely breathy sounds with ease, but never appears as if she has tapped out her vocal range. Like many other classical singers, she reminds me of an engine that is humming along in a very relaxed manner, but could release some incredible power, if the music would call for it. And overall, her tone is very relaxing, warm and inviting, only adding to the mood of the songs.
The lyrics conjure up images of the highs and lows of a relationship, with all the happiness, comfort and sadness that it can bring. I really appreciate Elly’s lyrical style in this; it’s never too poetic and heady, but grounded, direct and relatable, yet the words are still flowing and beautiful.

Overall, this is a fantastic album. The production is complex, but doesn’t draw too much attention to itself. All the instrumentalists involved are cleary extremely capable in their own right, and Elly herself is breathtaking in her abilites and sensibilites. While this music feels light, it never looses its footing, but stays right down here with us. It is incredibly impressive work and gorgeous art, and it gets my full recommendation!

Florgoth

From a cursory glance online, it seems that the artist Elly Kace is many things, but prominent among them are sound healer and mystic. In an interview with Queen’s Gazette, Kace explained this, saying:

“Mysticism as it was taught to me is defined as the act of illuminating. To shed light on the truth. Every time you speak the truth and share the truth, you are a mystic.”

This mysticism takes shape through the ten tracks that make up Kace’s excellent album, The Seventh Gate. This is music that’s as much about feeling as hearing, and from the opening moments of the first track, I felt my shoulders come down from around my ears and my jaw unclench.

One track in particular, “The Body,” activated something in my brain with its polyrhythmic vocals and complex harmonies. It was stimulating and satisfying all at once, bringing a sense of lightness and fullness to the surface of its sound.

E.A.

An easy going and airy collection of female-led vocalcentric alt-pop. And in case there’s any question – no, none of that is supposed to be dismissive or pejorative – pop should be pretty airy and easy going most of the time, right? That’s not to say it’s weightless! There are real tunes here – the opener, “Lisianthuses” is a standout, a memorable trek thru Stereolab/Beach House adjacent bliss pop. Two more that stuck with me were “The Body” and “Gaslight,” both of which pair interesting vocal treatments with strong performances and arrangements that let the equally strong hooks and clever songwriting shine. On that note, the production and arrangements in general are extremely solid but not particularly adventurous – the focus is on the voice and the songs, not cool programming tricks and weird sounds. I could list probable references and influences all day – from Kate Bush to Caroline Polachek – but it’s probably smarter to simply say if you’re into woman-fronted pop/rock of the arty variety, you’ll want to give this one a spin to see if it is up your alley.

Ether Diver

Updated: July 31, 2026 — 5:28 am

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