Back in February we introduced the work of London-based songwriter Eli Carvajal and his “markedly unguarded, earnest style,” appreciating his ability to “combin[e] folk and pop sensibilities into something at once playful, curious and heartfelt.” After the release of album Eat Shiitake Now in 2024, Carvajal is sharing a number of new singles to preview his next release, starting with ‘Fear of Love’. “A song of two halves,” as we put it, “which emerged from a period of transition which in turn suggests his next direction.” Written between time spent at home in Watford during the pandemic and then after moving to Higashikitazawa in Tokyo, it channels uncertainty and longing into something compassionate, overcoming frustration with a tender patience.
Now Eli Carvajal is back with ‘Stretch Marks’, a brand new single which furthers this sincere mood. Recorded in his bedroom in Higashikitazawa as snow melted on Mt. Fuji out the window, the song is every bit as intimate and gentle as its predecessor, managing to evoke the ways in which love elevates the ordinary into something wonderful, and creates the possibilities of new myths and dreams before us. The result is simple in execution and all the more convincing for it, and marks Carvajal as a songwriter to watch as we move further into 2025.