Critically acclaimed Los Angeles-based singer/songwriter Eleni Mandell, who has “created an impressive body of work over the last decade” (Los Angeles Times) and whose “lyrics are lucid, exploring the elusive promise of romance with wit and moony wistfulness” (Entertainment Weekly), releases her 10th studio album, Dark Lights Up, Yep Roc Records.

It all started with a visit to the Country Music Hall of Fame, where an innocent afternoon wandering the exhibits and learning about her musical heroes, like Hank Williams, George Jones, Buck Owens, and Tammy Wynette, led acclaimed LA singer and songwriter Eleni Mandell on an unexpected journey of profound musical and personal self-discovery culminating in ‘Dark Lights Up,’ her tenth and most captivating album yet.

“It was a profound experience for me,” says Mandell. “Seeing all their lyrics and guitars on display made me reflect on just how deeply I’d been influenced by classic country.”

With that sound in mind and at the production helm of her 10th album, Mandell entered longtime collaborator and co-producer Sheldon Gomberg’s Silver Lake studio to distil her songs down to their purest core, assembling all of the musicians together in a single room with only acoustic instruments. Cut live in just four days, the album features Mandell on vocals and acoustic guitar, Jake Blanton (acoustic guitar), Ryan Feves (upright bass), Nate Walcott (piano, trumpet, flugelhorn), and Mike Green (drums, tambourine).

“Known for her captivating, intelligent songwriter and smoky, sultry vocals,” (Glide Magazine), Mandell’s eclectic catalog spans “from skeletal, Tom Waits-ish blues-rock to whiskey-soaked alt-country to twinkling folk-pop” (LA Weekly).