Thanksgiving’s behind us and Christmas is on the way, so ’tis the season for white elephant gift exchanges, right? And depending on you or your family’s level of southern drawl, if someone’s ever suggested “white elephant?” as the next activity, they may have inadvertently uttered today’s feature. Because unless it’s a drift-caught quip to “don’t think about Elephants”, an oblivious retort to “let’s talk about the elephant in the room”, or just a moment when you’re simply looking the wrong direction at the wildlife refuge, it’s rare to hear “What Elephant?” uttered unprompted.

What Elephant? Well, the question is the answer. Punctuation mark perpetually in tow, What Elephant? is a two-member multi-instrumental mammoth based out of Pennsylvania. And although the duo only got started in 2024, it’s been a big year. Yeah, they’ve already wrapped their collective trunk around two full-lengths and an EP on top of a handful of A/B-side singles that’ve trickled in tandem since September.

Yes, it’s a lot to catch up with. But you could easily make a white elephant game out of those eight alternative-autumnal tunes; give each of ’em a spin, snag the ones you want for your personal playlist, and don’t fret about prying ears stealing your picks, because there’s plenty to go around. And just like that Thanksgiving spread, each song has a distinct flavor that’s great on its own, but adds up to one hell of a tasty plate when enjoyed back to back.

So dig in beginning with one of two latest offerings from What Elephant?, “Made Up Words”, which transcends the languages of alternative, folk, psych, and indie rock for a sound that’s somewhere in between Paul Simon, Road to Roen-era Supergrass, and Animal Collective.

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