Folk’s new confessional.
At just 19, Gympie’s Elke Louie writes like someone who has already lived several small lifetimes.
Her debut EP Lavender has arrived as a quietly devastating time capsule, tracking the ache of first love, the confusion of change, and the tender work of growing up in a small Queensland town.
Recorded at Mantle Records with Clare Quinn and Lawrence Menard of Those Folk, the five-track collection follows her acclaimed singles ‘Killing Time’ and ‘Sandman,’ the latter praised by The AU Review as “beautifully assured.”
Louie’s voice moves between unguarded fragility and quiet strength, drawing comparisons to Big Thief and Gregory Alan Isakov.
Whether performing solo or fronting indie-rock band Hugo and the Hive, she commands attention through restraint alone.
Below, Louie discusses the retreat that unlocked ‘Lavender,’ the weight of vulnerability, and why her debut already feels like saying goodbye to someone she used to be.
HAPPY: What’d you get up to today?
ELKE LOUIE: Uni at QUT, I’m still working on a production assignment tonight as I’m responding here.
HAPPY: Tell us a little about where you’re from, and what you love about it?
ELKE LOUIE: I was born on the Sunshine Coast and whisked off to Boulder, Colorado as a 3 month old baby due to my Dad’s work for a few years, but Gympie has been my home for as far back as I remember and I still love returning any chance I get.
It’s really pretty and way bigger than people know about.
HAPPY: Your debut ‘Killing Time’ was praised for its “trembling honesty.” What gave you the courage to release something so vulnerable as your first statement?
ELKE LOUIE: It was co-written with Clare Quinn of Those Folk, and the first track produced for my debut EP by Clare and Lawrence of Those Folk and Mantle Records, their label.
I was much younger when we wrote it and genuinely was living those feelings in 2022.
It was such an honour to write with Clare and then to be invited into their production realm for Killing Time, and then all in for the entire EP… it just felt right to release Killing Time first.
HAPPY: The title ‘Lavender’ feels soft, but the EP also holds isolation and confusion. Why did you choose that as the title for the whole collection?
ELKE LOUIE: It’s my first love song for my first love, and best friend. It was the last song I wrote for the EP and I truly poured my heart and soul into it and love performing it…. It’s just the one.
It feels like the prize for finishing the race of my teens, high school, moving to Brisbane to start Uni for Music and getting my first five original songs out into the world at 19, it’s not been easy but definitely worth it as i’m writing this, especially knowing Lavender is set to receive early first play on triple j this weekend, wta!?
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HAPPY: How did working with Clare Quinn and Lawrence Menard (Those Folk) at Mantle Records help shape the EP’s sonic identity?
ELKE LOUIE: I’m a massive Those Folk fan so I trusted them completely and their process was delightful, Lawrence jumping in on his old honky-tonk piano, them both killing me softly on their banjo’s, mandolin too, I could not have asked for a better experience…..
Not to mention the incredible location of their Sunshine Coast studio during that time, an old retired dairy barn converted into their home/studio, in green pastures at the end of a gravel track with a tiny timber bridge that flooded so severely during heavy rain, we had to reschedule a few days of recording during the project.
I’m so glad I have photos of it all.
HAPPY: The video has a dreamy, intimate feel. How did you translate the song’s warmth into visuals?
ELKE LOUIE: Liz and I borrowed my Mum’s Nikon and just filmed all our favourite places we spent time together as teens, it’s our time capsule for always.
HAPPY: You’ve already opened for acts like Lucy Gallant and Babyshakes Dillon while still in high school. What’s the biggest lesson those early shows taught you?
ELKE LOUIE: That pre-stage nerves can definitely feel like you might be dying on the carpet in the green room. Also Babyshakes Dillon is from Gympie! and her parents are so lovely and attended so many of my hometown gigs in high school and since!
HAPPY: You’re playing your first Melbourne shows in July. What are you most nervous and excited about for that leap?
ELKE LOUIE: I can’t quite believe it to be honest, it will be my first trip to Melbourne and I have a fair few radio stations there to thank for Airplay, especially JoyFM!
HAPPY: If someone listens to only one track on Lavender to understand who you are right now, which one should they choose and why?
ELKE LOUIE: Lavender definitely, it’s just very me.
HAPPY: Lastly, what makes you happy? :-)
ELKE LOUIE: Sleeping in with my partner til 2pm.
