Elf Power with Five Eight and Shehehe

Elf Power’s new record, Artificial Countrysides, pushes the Athens, GA band's music in unexpected directions, accentuating the psych-rock sound they have been honing for close to 30 years. Along with a blend of fuzz-toned electric and layered acoustic guitars, Moog keyboards and lively drums, the group experimented with the sounds of marimba, Mellotron, harpsichord, synth bass and distorted drum machine loops, all topped with melodies that echo in your head long after the music stops. The effect is electrifying, on songs that are unmistakably from Elf Power, yet muscular and propulsive in a distinctive new way.Athens legends Five Eight have been playing electrifying rock shows from small clubs to huge stadiums for decades now. Members of R.E.M., Gang of Four, Sugar, The Minutemen and the Drive-by Truckers are fans, and the band has been riding high since touring in support of the feature documentary Weirdo: The Story of Five Eight in 2025. Paste Magazine called the movie "A gripping story of one of the best live bands to come out of Athens, Georgia, full of fantastic music and visuals." Also last year, Rolling Stone Magazine called their music "...vibrant and exciting, the kind of rock you play when you've decided that you're committed to the game for life." Five Eight's ninth studio album, Help a Sinner, was released on May 8th, 2026. Shehehe: uncompromised, unabashed, uninhibited. The Athens trio's snarly call and response male/female punk vocals, occasional soft, sweet harmonies — and a scream or two — paired with thumpy, pounding, aggressive, hypnotic rhythms have been inspiring and cultivating a genuinely honest, nostalgic, yet unique rock & roll scene.