Behind The Artworks: ELM TREE CIRCLE - NO FOMO (2020)

We have a strong urge to do everything ourselves in this band. We are hands on from the recording process, all the way through to the artwork of the record. This is not because we don’t like working with other people but we actually really enjoy the entire process and are happy to do it ourselves.

Since our first release in 2016 I designed almost all of our artworks except for a spin off for a label sampler. The cover for our first album was a collaboration between our guitarist Henne and me. For the previous releases we always went with our signature comic style artworks and pretty much stuck with it for the 4 singles that are part of this record. For the actual artwork of our second album, I wanted to be a little more neutral with the design. I didn’t want it to be as in your face (even though the dudes on it are clearly all about it) and without popping colors. That’s why I went with a simple line art that I did on paper with a copic brush pen which I simply scanned with my phone camera and through into photoshop. I love the looks of older records. Some of them are very simple and tasteful in that way. I wanted to get close to something that looks like 60’s without being mistaken for an old record. It still had to be somewhat contemporary, whatever that means these days. So I chose fonts that seem more modern and two subjects that probably wouldn’t have been on record covers in the 60s in that way.

The idea for two men making out came through a brainstorm with the band. We were already set on the album title “NO FOMO” early on in the recording phase. We didn’t overthink it much until someone pointed out to us that it could be mistaken to be supposed to sound like “No Homo”. At first we were a little unsure what to do about it but then I thought we should embrace the fact that it kind of sounds like it. The record title is an abbreviation for “No fear of missing out”. And what could better describe a rebellion against this fear than two people who want each other, to just go for it and express their feelings for another? Even better, two people who might have hidden behind their true identity at some point because of a whole other fear while missing out on a great opportunity in love.