Gelli Haha reveals “Normalize”. Influenced by 80s Nigerian soul boogie, her final single ahead of the release of debut full-length album, Switcheroo, delivers mid-tempo synth-funk underneath a raw but smooth vocal. Gelli Haha expresses her desire to be free of hardships in the chorus, singing “I want to fly away”. The video for “Normalize” adapts Gelli Haha’s live stage performance into film, and is the next chapter of the psycho-science experiment that began in the previous single, “Spit,” revealing Gelli has been transformed into a parachute monster. The series was directed by David Gutel, watch below.
A shapeshifter, a sonic acrobat, a performer with one foot in the cosmos and the other in arthouse theatrics, Gelli Haha (pronounced Jelly-Haha) is a space for pure creative chaos that exists somewhere between Studio 54 and Area 51. Gelli’s music thrives on duality: playful but profound, tongue-in-cheek but sincere. Her debut album Switcheroo, out next month via Innovative Leisure, is the soundtrack to the Gelliverse, a sensory adventure sphere created by Gelli.
With a shared taste for off-kilter pop and vintage gear, producer Sean Guerin (of De Lux) joined Gelli in turning freshly-formed demos into a high-voltage experiment, abandoning meticulous structure for something freer and more electrifying. Every song on Switcheroo makes use of a myriad of recording toys; wacky analog effects, such as the Eventide Harmonizer, MXR Pitch Transposer, and various Electrix units, fashion an intentionally flawed and strictly silly texture throughout the album. Switcheroo is an exercise in letting go, an inside joke turned theatrical spectacle.
Gelli Haha’s wild, prop-filled, choreographed live show has quickly become one of LA underground’s most sought after performances. She returns Saturday, June 26 with a headlining show at the Resident in Downtown Los Angeles with dance arts center; KCRW’s Travis Holcombe is set to DJ. Tickets are on sale here – Presented by Minty Boi and Gelli Kompany.
Gelli Haha Live Dates:
Jul 26: Los Angeles, CA – Resident
w/ dance arts center, Travis Holcombe (DJ)
