Flock

FLOCK is Hey Elbow’s immersive exploration of collective creation, transformed into a recorded album that lives between ambient soundscapes and jazz-inflected improvisation. Rooted in collaboration across disciplines, the project began as a live interplay between three musicians, three dancers, and a set designer—each invited not as an interpreter, but as a co-creator. From this shared process, the music was reshaped and distilled into an album that carries the trace of movement, space, and human presence.At the heart of FLOCK lies improvisation: a practice of deep listening, responsiveness, and trust. In both music and dance, improvisation becomes a way of negotiating individuality within a group. The album asks whether adaptation is a creative freedom or a limitation. When do we insist on our own voice, and when do we let ourselves be carried by others?Formed in 2013, Hey Elbow consists of Ellen Pettersson (winds, electronics, synths), Julia Ringdahl (vocals, guitar), and Liam Amner (drums). With around 150 concerts worldwide and three previous releases—Every Other (2015), C0C0C0 (2018), and We Three (2020)—the band continues to refine a distinct voice. FLOCK, their fourth full-length album, stands as their most conceptually unified work to date: an ambient-jazz album shaped by collaboration, curiosity, and the delicate balance between leading and following.