Elliander. Ellersick+Sanders= Elliander.

Elliander is composed of Matthew Ellersick ’23 and Bridgette Sanders ’23—two of my dearest friends.

When Elliander blows up, and their talent skyrockets them to insane proportions of fame, I can confidently say that I was lucky enough to know them in high school.

I met Bridgette Sanders freshman year, in my Honors English I class. When I first talked to her, she was so kind, I thought she was being sarcastic, foreshadowing our ying-yang friendship: my endless cynicism and her endless optimism.

Bridgette and I became close during Red and Gold our sophomore year, when I was script captain and she was drama captain. We are living proof that Red and Gold encourages new friendships.

I soon learned that Bridgette is nothing short of a musical prodigy. She can learn a dance in two minutes, and has the voice of an angel. She shares her talent for all to enjoy, and her kindness and non-judgmental attitude radiate off of her, blessing everyone around her. She’s a great AP Lang partner, and is listed in my contacts as “Bridgette my beloved.”

Matt understands music better than anyone I know. He listens to at least three new albums a week, and can give you the most detailed explanation on the album’s production, songwriting, melodies, etc. He kills it in Trinitas, and a coffee aficionado.

One fateful day, Bridgette invited me to her house. There I was standing in her backyard, when “Kyoto” by Phoebe Bridgers begins to play. I obviously immediately start singing the lyrics. And from across the pool, the one and only Matthew Ellersick shouts at me, “Are you a pharb?” I respond back, “Of course I’m a pharb! Are you a pharb?” The answer was obviously yes.

Matt and I soon realized that we have identical tastes in music, and share a sense of humor. We also discovered that we are ideal concert partners. Our friendship now is fueled by endearing bickering, buying concert tickets, and frequently sharing music with each other.

If it isn’t clear already, I might be a tad bit biased in my analysis of Elliander. I adore both so dearly. But I guarantee, they live up to the hype I am giving them. Their talent is a treasure to the Servite and Rosary community. Not to mention, they embody the model friar and royal.

Their new song, “Yours Truly” is nothing short of a banger, bop, smash, and exemplary tune. Every time the duo releases a new song, I swear it’s my favorite, until the next one comes out and absolutely blows my mind.

Elliander has released three songs prior to “Yours Truly.” They debuted with the emotional “Greatest Fear” followed by the ultimate heartbreak jam that is “Am I still on your mind?” And one can never forget the ultimate summer anthem, “Matt’s Jeep.”

“Yours Truly” is truly a feat for Elliander. The production is insane (kudos to Matt, who frequently calls me in-between hour long sessions of fiddling on his laptop, producing Elliander’s projects.) Bridgette and Matt’s voices have never melted together so harmoniously. It’s a song that demands to be played on repeat. It is clear that Elliander has found their distinctive sound, and by golly, it’s good.

Bridgette kindly agreed to an interview, calling me on the way home from filming a college theater program audition (she’s destined for Broadway, people.) After a few minor threats, Matt also agreed to an interview.

Why did you guys decide to make a band?

Bridgette: A while back ago, Matt and I started to get close, and realized that we had a love for music in common. Little by little, we found our that the other could play different instruments. We already knew that we could both sing. But soon it was like, “Oh you can play this instrument? Well, I can play this one!” So one day, we decided to have a jam session. That jam session evolved into a song writing session. We just wanted to see what would come from it. And from that first jam session, “Greatest Fear” was completed.

Do you see yourself pursuing music in the future? Should we expect to hear you singing “Yours Truly” at the Grammy’s?

Bridgette: I mean, I want to study musical theater in college without a doubt. I love music, Matt loves music, we’re going to sing together as long as we possibly can.

So, what is the behind the scenes scoop on “Yours Truly”

Bridgette: Matt always sends me tapes of some instrumentals he’s made, and then later we fill in the lyrics, and whatever extra touches are needed. So back in March, he sent me the instrumentals of “Yours Truly,” and I obviously loved it. We started working on recording and writing the lyrics ASAP. It felt like we were really onto something.

Bridgette, as your friend, and your biggest fan, I need you to answer a question. This will make or break my career as a journalist. Can we expect an EP or album anytime soon?

Bridgette: *maniacal laughter*

Anything else you want to say about Elliander?

Bridgette: Let me think. Oh I know! I love Matt and I love Elliander!

Perfectly said, Bridgette.

Matt, “Yours Truly” is amazing. Talk to me about it.

Matt: I was working on the production of it for a long time. I think towards the end, I realized that it was one of, if not the best things I’ve made so far. I sent it to Bridgette, and was like, “we need to record right now.”

Do you see yourself pursuing music in the future?

Matt: I don’t think I am gonna study music in college, but I am by no means stopping songwriting. I want to sing with Bridgette as long as I can. I really love music, it’s my ultimate passion.

Why do you think you and Bridgette work so well as a pair?

Matt: We are such good friends, and she is so talented. I think that friendship really helps us create music that we would want to listen to. I trust her with my life, and I think that having so much in common, and having so much respect for each other helps push us to create music that we are proud of.

Matt, the people want to know. Do you drive a Jeep?

Matt: Duh. That was a stupid question.

Not everything can be a hard-hitting journalistic inquiry. Any thing else you want to say about Elliander?

Matt: Listen to our new song, “Yours Truly.” I love being in Elliander and I love making music with Bridgette.

The best thing about Elliander, is that they’ve put the magic of their friendship, the melodrama of being a teenager in high school, and their shared love of music into a sound. Listening to Elliander feels like driving in your friend’s Jeep down the PCH, dealing with heartbreak while still needing to study for your pre-calc test, and hanging out with your friends while you vent about your recent romantic troubles.  Elliander is taking the beauty of adolescence and turning it into a song.

Elliander has a bright, burning future ahead of them. Matt and Bridgette are 17, with four songs released. And I can’t wait to see what they have in store for the future.

In the meantime, check out “Yours Truly” and the rest of Elliander’s discography on Apple Music and Spotify.