MOTIVE BLACK Sign With AFM Records; "Broken" Single And Video Released
May 31, 2021, 3 years ago
Los Angeles-based Motive Black is the modern metal brainchild of vocalist Elana Justin, a project that has been a long time coming. Graduating from the bar band circuit in New York, Elana seized the opportunity to move to Los Angeles in 2018 to work on new music. A stranger in a strange land, she found herself immersed in the local scene and performing on open mic nights at the iconic Viper Room. The LA music community welcomed her, connections and friends were made, which eventually led to a collaboration with Grammy winning guitarist / producer Nick Rowe (Bloodsimple, Vampire Weekend). The duo reworked a song from Elana's former New York band, taking the music in a heavier direction, and Motive Black was born.
Today the band released their first videoclip and single, "Broken", through AFM – presenting a mixture of grooving alternative rock and crushing modern metal that countersinks its way into your ear canal. When listening closer after rocking out, Elana's both powerful and fragile charismatic voice gets deep.
Furthermore the following people have been involved in the production:
- Mixed by Josh Wilbur (Lamb of God, Korn, Papa Roach)
- Featuring Ray Luzier (Korn) on drums
- Featuring Marcos Curiel (P.O.D.) on guitars
"'Broken' is a song that came together when we were taking a break from writing the song we were actually working on," says Elana. "I get to go on a little journey singing it, which is always fun. The idea behind the song is about breaking down walls. It's a song based on truth. It's about being afraid to take risks because you work so hard to protect yourself. I think a lot of people can relate to that."
The video for "Broken" can be seen below:
For the future, Elana's goal is to turn Motive Black into a full band, both in the interest of touring and future work on new music as they move forward. In the meantime, she is set to unleash no less than four singles from Motive Black between May 2021 and January 2022, all of them with rock solid staying power.
"It's interesting to be signed," says Elana says of joining the AFM Records family. "I don't have a following because Motive Black is a brand new project, so the music must have spoken to someone at the label. Hopefully that sort of interest will pull me through."