Bio

Trailand Eltzroth is a musician, indie singer-songwriter and composer who grew up and currently lives with his family Jackson, MS. He has been involved in the Mississippi arts scene for over a decade. For My Friends and Family, Trailand’s first full length album will be released on February 2nd 2024. His debut EP Yesterday’s Normal was released in early 2021, a solo project influenced by artists such as Andrew Peterson, Henry Jamison and Sufjan Stevens. Trailand experiments with combining his voice and acoustic guitar with recorded sounds and intimate lyrics about his faith. He has since released his second EP Ascension, as well two Christmas songs titled Gloria.

He received his bachelor’s degree in composition at Belhaven University in Jackson and his master’s degree in composition at The Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama, Cardiff, Wales. Since graduating in 2019, Trailand has taught his trade to his students. Trailand is a gardener, birder and stargazer.

Trailand was on tour through June and July of 2023 throughout the eastern half of the country with his wife and daughter. They will head west in April and then head towards the north east in the summer. As they traveled they will be sharing songs from his album For My Friends and Family. To stay up to date on their future travel plans you can follow him on Instagram or receive his newsletter.

To hear Yesterday’s Normal click here. To hear Trailand’s most recent work click here.

Trailand is a member of Collage, a non-for-profit collective of arts and artists focused on cultivating christian art for the local community. His focus on community and faith are apparent in his music and the personal stories he shares during his concerts.

Trailand is an artist on the Mississippi Arts Commission artist roster.

For My Friends and Family Album Review

Trailand Eltzroth is an up and coming singer/songwriter from Jackson, Mississippi. Prior to this year, Eltzroth had only two EPs to his name. However, with the release of his first full-length album, For My Friends and Family, he's proving that his songwriting skills are already well above average.

With For My Friends and Family is largely acoustic and even folksy, both in sound and in Eltzroth's tendency to write songs that are more story-driven. He has a great sense of melody (the chorus of "Sophia" is addicting); in fact, the vocal and musical melodies complement each other quite nicely, creating really engaging moments, such as in "I've Found Love In Mississippi" and the Arcadian Wild-esque "New Life."

While the album's title suggests that the songs may be about and for specific people, the lyrics and themes are actually a bit more varied. Songs like "Love Like We Do," and the aforementioned "Sophia," certainly fit the bill. But right out of the gate, "You Can Hear Me" opens with an all-too-familiar-sounding existential crisis, as Eltzroth contends with the pressures of life, feeling insufficient, and wondering if God is still around (what seasoned Christian hasn't at one time prayed "Oh my Lord, can You hear me? / I long for rest in Your promise / Oh my Lord, I hear silence?").

This isn't an album of doubt, though. While Eltzroth acknowledges that those times are real, there's a lot of joy and trust in the Lord displayed throughout the remaining songs. "National Geographic" sings of God's promises in the Bible in the face of the world's boasting, "Out of Time" is a reminder that life on earth is short and we have work to do as believers.

As I said above, this may only be the first full album from Trailand Eltzroth, but it almost sounds like something from a seasoned artist. It's melodically pleasing and lyrically interesting and mature, with solid production quality to boot. For My Friends and Family is out now, but don't let the title throw you off - it's for you, too.

- Review date: 2/14/24, written by Scott Fryberger of Jesusfreakhideout.com