Electra-fying sound

Sound is something that can be challenging to describe in words. For Nitzan Horesh, lead singer of Electra, music is more than just sound: it’s a blank canvas being painted with melody. “Our music has all kinds of edge and color,” says Horesh.

The punk-rock-pop fusion band Electra is back with another album and a whole new perspective.

This native Israeli group, which perform only in English, is all about energy, explains the 35-year-old musician, who also has written most of the band’s songs. That’s why their upcoming album, Second Hand Love, was recorded entirely analogue, meaning without digital editing.

“That is the only way to feel our band’s energy. You have to feel like you are watching us live,” says 37-year-old Boaz Wolf, Electra’s drummer.

The band was more comfortable and willing to take risks when recording their new album, and it shows.

“We have grown a lot since our first album and wow, we are really excited,” says Wolf. “We tried a lot of new things with the production of our songs. More instruments, a string section.”

The album, which was released last month, is their second album and Wolf, Horesh, along with Electra’s bassist Doron Farhi have come a long way since they first came together in 2008.

Having played together for almost six years, the band members have grown together as musicians and as friends, explains Wolf, who currently lives in a flat with Farhi in Tel Aviv.

The recording process, which began January of last year, was very experimental. During the month-long process, the band improvised many of their recording sessions and “pressed record, just to see what happens,” Wolf says.

Quite different from their first album, when the band say they over-rehearsed to make sure everything was perfect prior to recording, Second Hand Love provided them with an opportunity for musical freedom.

Diversity is really important to Electra, and many of the band’s favorite songs came from experimenting in the studio.

One of the songs Horesh is most proud of is the ninth track on the album, “Starve,” which was also released as a single. The song was written seven years ago, and the group struggled for years to figure out the best way to play it live.

“It took time orchestrating the song, and it’s really different than a lot of the music we play.

It’s a mix of James Bond, Arabic music, and 60s pop,” describes Horesh.

Track No. 5, “Start All Over,” was not always a favorite of Wolf’s. When Horesh proposed the song to the group, Wolf insisted it wasn’t a good idea and that he didn’t like the style, but they decided to give it a shot anyway.

“I fell in love with this song, the texture of the song. It reminds me of a Friday afternoon radio tune.”

Creating new sounds and keeping true to their individual style is very important to the gentlemen of Electra, but “these are hard times for bands that are not playing mainstream sh*t,” adds Horesh. “This is a troubling time. It’s not an easy time for rock and roll, especially in Israel,” he says of Israel’s recent political troubles.

That is why the band has taken advantage of many opportunities to tour in other countries.

After releasing their first album, Heartbreaks for Fools, Electra played at venues throughout the United States and Germany. They will continue to promote themselves internationally in the upcoming year, with more shows in the US and Europe.

Although they try to avoid being labeled as “representing Israel,” Horesh understands that they have a certain responsibility to give Israel the representation it deserves.

“We need to show that Israel has some normal elements. Not hate, fear or racism. We are normal people, and we are not afraid of the world,” he says.

Electra will be debuting Second Hand Love on January 9 at 9:30 p.m. at the Barby nightclub in Tel Aviv. The album can be purchased online at: http://electra.bandcamp.com.