Elasticity (EP)

The EP is made up of five songs Tankian had originally written several years earlier,[2] for a possible System of a Down reunion album that did not come to pass because the other members of the band did not see "eye-to-eye" on their suitability.[3][4] Tankian decided to record the tracks himself with engineers Vlado Meller and Dan Monti and release them under his own name,[5][6] expecting this action to allow the band to move forward.[7] It is Tankian's first album of original rock and heavy metal-based songs since Harakiri in 2012.[2]

The album was expected to be released in fall 2020, but was delayed due to renewed strife between Armenia and Azerbaijan;[8] Tankian instead spent that period engaged in international awareness efforts.[6] The album features some lyrics referencing the 2021 documentary film Truth to Power, which chronicles Tankian's efforts to gain international recognition for the Armenian Genocide.[9] The title track "Elasticity" was released as an advance single and features a music video directed by Vlad Kaptur.[10] The song "Rumi" is about Tankian's son and the Persian poet of the same name.[5][11]

Kerrang! noted that the EP is "a fascinating insight into what a new album [by System of a Down] might have sounded like, through the lens of its most musically adventurous member",[4] while Metal Hammer also noted the creative deviations from that band's expected sounds.[12] In the words of Paste Magazine, the EP should mostly satisfy fans of System of a Down, but adds enough new elements to make it Tankian's own work.[13] Blabbermouth called the EP "tremendously eclectic" while praising Tankian as "an incredibly talented and brilliant creative force".[14] Loudwire called the album's title track "delightfully weird" with possible influences from surf rock and new wave.[15]