After an impressive introduction in the form of the single “cops.hittas.crackers.n*****,” Ekoli formally situates himself as one of the most promising up and coming artists in Chicago with the release of his six-track EP, Eliyahu Hanavi. Relying solely on his guitar and voice to bring all the songs to life, the project unfolds in a psychedelic and spiritually introspective realm. It wouldn’t be too far-fetched to imagine listening to these chords and crackling sounds during a commercial break on Adult Swim or a meditation center.
“cops.hittas.crackers.n*****” might be the opening cut, but in a lot of ways, it’s the second record on here (“A journey for your individual soul”) that feels like Eliyahu Hanavi’s true mission statement. If this is true, then it succeeds by allowing the listener to freely interpret the instrumentals and roam towards different feelings depending on the various sonic textures provided. In fact, in the EP’s Soundcloud description Ekoli writes: “I want you to become better, to love yourself, to accept yourself, to not worry so much, to make executive decisions, to wave away your distractions, to become successful, to be an individual, to be great. I love you.”
Eliyahu Hanavi is worth listening at a superficial level for simply the sheer intrigue behind his ability to transmute his guitar into a complete arsenal of sound palettes, but submerge yourself deeper and you will find an intricate, soul-enriching body of work. Stream above.