Luke Ellingson is the alias of 24-year-old songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Noah Silvestry. Following his departure from Vern Matz, with whom he cut his teeth playing drums on two EPs, the Philadelphia-born New Haven resident found his voice on his 2020 debut LP, Like Wires Humming. Drawing on a lifetime of musical fandom and experience, Silvestry, an architectural designer by day and producer by night (Sargasso, Sofra, Language Please, Window Seat), sings about the challenges of reorienting towards oneself amid relationships gone awry. His visceral, heartfelt voice is set against an expansive and diverse array of musical backdrops, from snarling guitars reminiscent of the late ‘90s alt-country scene to the placid catharsis of post-rock anthems. WXPN’s The Key likened the debut to being “The National-esque,” and harkening back to “Yankee Hotel Foxtrot-era Wilco”. Joined by Max Kulicke (Carroll, American Trappist) on lead guitar, and his cousin, Max Mines (Language Please, Megafauna) on bass, Silvestry and company present a confident musical vision wrought with emotion. 

Ellingson returned in 2021 with Clementine, which finds his musical wanderlust adopting new forms from within the confines of his New Haven apartment; a more expansive internal universe is revealed. With a sprawling range of influences from every corner of the map, soaring shoegaze moments on the album’s lead singles coat the record with a dark, matte wash. Elsewhere, Ellingson’s writing has a more delicate power, teetering anxiously between wry and earnest. There’s an undeniable precision to dynamics; as both songwriter and producer, Ellingson knows exactly how to speak his own language. When to hold back, when to dig in, when to let go.