San Antonio dream-pop trio Elnuh celebrating release of new album this weekend

After years spent in various formations, San Antonio dream-pop trio Elnuh — consisting of singer-guitarist-songwriter Elena Lopez, drummer Daniel Puente and bassist Luke Mitchell — has broken through with a new LP, Entropy, which drops at the end of March.

The album is a stunning slow burn of entrancing dynamics: thrashed sonics and hushed atmospherics, pummeling rhythms and floating tones. To celebrate the ambitious project, Elnuh is hosting a release party Sunday, March 30, at the Lonesome Rose. In addition to the headliner, the stellar local lineup includes Ston, Streetlamp and Garrett T. Capps & NASA Country along with DJ sets from Strawberry Jams.

Last year, Elnuh released a pair of moody singles that served as appetizers for the album, which feels like a full and satisfying meal. Recorded by San Antonio studio whiz Brant Sankey, the new release is the band’s first recorded in an actual studio, yet it eschews the excessive overdubs and overcooked approach that mar many local albums.

To be sure, the trio wanted the release to capture the feel of its compelling live shows.

“We recorded it all live,” singer Lopez told the Current. “I came back in and overdid my guitar and vocal, but yeah, we’re really proud of it.”

Like most artists, the members of Elnuh are loathe to pigeonhole themselves.  

When forced to name a few influences, Lopez rattles off the Halo Benders, Autolux, Modest Mouse, Built to Spill, Silver Jews, Pinback and My Bloody Valentine. While elements of those artists do bubble up in Elnuh’s music, they’re blended into something uniquely the band’s own.

Through years of struggle and a firm grounding in the SA scene, Elnuh has created something simple, original and brilliant. However, the triumph of its new LP was years in the making.

Lopez’s musical journey started in childhood with piano lessons and her efforts to copy songs she heard on TV. By the time she hit middle school, she’ been bitten by the emo bug. 

“When I first started going to concerts, it was … All Time Low, We the Kings,” she said with a laugh. “The Warped Tour.”

Lopez’s first taste of the Alamo City’s DIY music scene came through Imagine Books — an all-ages venue and community hub, now sadly defunct. The store was the lifelong dream of NEISD teacher Don Hurd, who opened it to integrate not just retail books and records but performance, poetry and music.

During the day, Imagine was a quiet bookstore, but at night, loud music and crowd surfing took over. Young fans often worked in a little shopping after the shows. 

“There was a whole scene there,” Lopez said. “A little scene that grew into a massive scene that harbored a place for people of all ages — catering to the young because they didn’t serve alcohol. People went nuts there for the shows, but they also had poetry nights and readings and lots of other stuff.”

Lopez gigged at Imagine with the first band in which she performed, Invision Love.

“Not my band. Spelled with an I, not an E, so we weren’t envisioning anything,” Lopez added, laughing. 

“It was myself, and this guy with crazy hair and big glasses who loved the Mountain Goats, and another guy on a big horn,” she added. “I don’t remember the name of the horn. It wasn’t a tuba. We just had a lot of fun.”

While playing in Invision Love, Lopez began writing her own songs and launched the band Octahedron with her brother. 

Octahedron toured the state and grew an audience, but after four years, Lopez was still searching. She began recording at home, and released the results as the first Elnuh album, a gauzy vision that’s emotional without being overwrought.

The stage was set for her next phase, which took her on a journey away from her home city.

Lopez moved to Tucson, Arizona, worked at a vintage costume shop and attended raves in the desert.

“Tucson is similar to San Antonio,” she said. “It’s intense, beautiful, and rough. It’s also the freakiest I have been. I felt like everything drew me there. It was like really starting over. And I’d do it again. I fell in love with Tucson.”

However, Lopez’s band was back in San Antonio, and the lure of the Sonoran desert wasn’t enough to overcome the chemistry she’d developed over the years.

“I do love San Antonio, and I love everything about it. It’s a culture you don’t get really many other places,” she said. “You feel it in the culture. It’s one of those things you feel more than you see. It just feels like home. It’s very raw. I think the artistry and the sincerity is beautiful. Being away and coming back, I definitely appreciate — how can I not sound corny? —  how people really believe in their art.”

It’s this sincere conviction that pulses through Entropy.

$12, 8 p.m. Sunday, March 30, The Lonesome Rose, 2114 N. St. Mary’s St, thelonesomerose.com.

Subscribe to SA Current newsletters.

Follow us: Apple News | Google News | NewsBreak | Reddit | Instagram | Facebook | Twitter| Or sign up for our RSS Feed

This article appears in Mar 19 – Apr 1, 2025.