Welcome to Boonie Town. My surroundings are the muse behind these tunes. Half this EP was written in my hometown of Kilauea on the island of Kauai and the other half was written in my adopted second home of Liverpool. I hope these songs are able to make sense and fit into a moment of yours wherever it is you may be” – Eli Smart Summer arrives early this year, in the form of newcomer Eli Smart and his lissom “Boonie Town” EP, his first physical release and debut for Polydor, released in April Originally hailing from Kauai, where he was raised by a family of musicians and grew up on a diet of Gladys Knight, The Beatles and Prince, Smart trades in a particularly infectious and breezy strain of music he calls “Aloha Soul” – a unique blend of Tropicana, timeless guitar pop and blue-eyed soul that is on stunning display on “Boonie Town”. It’s an inimitable sound that has already see him become a staple on BBC Introducing, as well as winning him a handpicked slot on Tom Windish’s tastemaking Homeschool show. Over four glorious tracks Smart’s irresistible, sun-dappled vision is celebrated fully and without cliché, displaying the impressive breadth of Smart’s musical prowess. From the gorgeously sweet bitter tang of lead track “Come Down” to the doo-wop swagger of “No Destination”; the twinkling falsetto croons on the irrepressibly lovestruck anthem-in-waiting “Highschool Steady” to last year’s “Cruella Deville”, which became a sleeper smash on radio and won him fans in the likes of Clara Amfo and Elton John, Smart is reading up and ramraiding the very best chapters in the history of pop music and distilling it with refined, resourceful eyes. These four songs are the end result.

Hey, it’s Eli
Welcome to Boonie Town. My surroundings are the muse behind these tunes. Half this EP was written in my hometown of Kilauea on the island of Kauai and the other half was written in my adopted second home of Liverpool. I hope these songs are able to make sense and fit into a moment of yours wherever it is you may be.

Here’s how I make sense of the tunes:
Highschool Steady – A starry night drive through your hometown, nostalgic and evocative of memories attached to a place you know so well, makes you wanna have a boogie too though and not take it all so seriously.

Come Down – Maybe you get home after that drive and feel a bit of a low. Maybe you fancy a groovy bittersweet little lullaby reminding you everybody’s a loner, don’t fight the come down??

No Destination – Could even take place in the same night? You get a call from your mates who come and drag you out of bed to take you out on a late night/early morning adventure that turns into a wild time but it was much needed and you feel existentially content when you finally get home.

Cruella Deville – Either you got a couple hours of sleep or nothing at all but somehow you’re feeling fresh and this song greets you as the sun is just coming up over your hometown or wherever you are and maybe it gives you the energy to walk out the door and start your day while having a little boogie down the street while smiling at random people because you’re so tired and delirious it’s amazing.

I hope you enjoy Boonie Town and it’s Aloha Soul.
All the love
Eli