Ella Fence proves rock isn't dead with Double A single, 'The Child/I Was Made For Loving You'

Photo by Shirley Lam

Ella Fence has been peddling her epic blues-drenched rock (with some jazz flourishes) for a number of years, racking up awards and commendations, and the new Double A single, ‘The Child/I Was Made For Loving You’ will be the next to gain accolades.

Like many over the last couple of years, Ella's lurched between mania and fatigue, from productive to depressed. Still, she shrugs her shoulders with indifference at her plight, noting her problems have been insignificant compared to the magnitude of the suffering of others. It’s been Ella's defiant survival instinct, (at a time when many have had to find inspiration in the darkest of places) that has shaped her 2022 musical counter attack.

‘The Child’ is raw, emotional and blues-drenched rock. Peeling back from too many layers, Ella has pushed forward a bourbon-soaked rock ballad that builds in the right places, just to tease, before pulling back. However, it is the clever play on the chorus line of ‘stuck in a loop, in my mind, happens all the time’ towards the last portion of the song which sees the vocals looping on top of each other, all while a blazing Louie Shelton guitar solo weaves in and out.

Teaming this up with an imaginative cover of the KISS classic, ‘I Was Made For Loving You’, which in all honesty, has given the song more meaning and heart; this Double A single further proves that the ‘rock is dead’ adage is way off the mark.

The double A single is two tracks of rock 'n roll. Rock played just the way they should be, as Ella explains, “Previous recordings I wanted perfect (and I make no apology for that objective), but now I want real. We’re enduring challenging times and people deserve the truth." Ella continues, “I was born real not perfect and I wanted that attitude to be recognised in my music."

Ella's new music is the glorification of guitars and monumental vocals. The two songs to be released express a collective community fatigue with a theme of resilience. Ella's voice magnificently illustrious, that despite the world's two years of isolation, it’s time to reclaim the streets. It’s been a crazy, complex environment and this release from Ella is an uncomplicated, no nonsense musical experience.

Ella muses about the the ‘The Child’, “Music is like falling in love, it should be dangerous and reckless. I’ve never been risk adverse and ‘The Child’ signals a shift stylistically for me. There’s less reliance on technology, this is flesh and blood.....humanity and guitars.”

She continues, "I wrote this song on acoustic guitar. I felt primed and confident vocally and had a cool idea for arrangements. I got together with Brock and Jordan, couple of boys out of Brisbane Pop/Punk band, Bugs, and hit the studio. Brock was in control of production and Jordan got behind the kit and strapped on the guitar. The three of us sonically collided and that impulsiveness took The Child from embryonic stage to commence evolving. Louie Shelton (yes, that Louie Shelton), the legend Of The Wrecking Crew then blazed a guitar lick of two to the song. As you’d expect Louie gives a masterclass on lead guitar. Louie is a bona fide legend, he’s performed on and shaped songs for John Lennon to Lionel Richie."

Ella's double A single partner to The Child is the classic KISS song, ‘I Was Made For Loving You’, an instantly recognisable piece of music from a band that’s a walking myth. Be warned, Ella Fence has slapped on the latex gloves and performed sonic open heart surgery on ‘I Was Made For Loving You’. She’s removed the existing vital organ and replaced it with a new circulatory system. It’s a transplant of two hearts pulsating, one from a wild boar, the other from a rabid hyena.

Once Ella made her way from the operating theatre it was time to go post op. Cut to: Ella connecting with previously name checked enigmatic US producer Scott Campbell (Alanis Morissette fame). Ella sent Scott the song, Scott acknowledged Ella's revised version of the epic KISS song, but went "fuck it, let’s explore further spaces outside the original."

So, Ella (with dual wild animal hearts pulsating), ably assisted by Scott, continued going rogue. The creative process went from Ella's operating table to Scott Campbell’s studio. Here, the musical equivalent of stripping a stolen car, then rebirthing it in a creative junkyard, took place. The KISS classic was overhauled and had the blowtorch taken to it. In the studio, Scott intensified the mix, Ella's voice elevating to caterwauling, her apocalyptic vocals pulled along by Campbell, including a savage shark alarm guitar attack, courtesy of Axe Man, Tom Livermore.

The final result is a must-listen. ‘The Child/I Was Made For Loving You’ is out now on all streaming platforms