“Through lyrical themes and diverse production, Ellis Evason marks a new era with his latest EP RONIN.”
Hip-Hop artist Ellis Evason has released RONIN – the first of his trilogy of EPs. These five tracks represent a new style for Evason, but it’s clear that his reputation of writing personal tracks sparking reflection is still present, and it’s great to see it.
Opening track ODE TO BOX focuses on feeling a disconnect with reality, and it’s evident how intimate of a song this is given the remarkable emotional delivery. The beat is hypnotic which corresponds effectively with the repetition, which becomes a common theme on RONIN.
LOUD follows with cleverly crafted maximalist production. This, with the assertiveness of Ellis‘ vocals, is crucial in giving the song that anthemic edge. It’s rapid in pace, and this energy is satisfyingly consistent throughout the melody.
Standing out as a more mellow track, Evason’s vocals on PHANTOM PAIN are softer. However, there’s not only an instrumental shift but also a vocal shift at the bridge where his voice wavers with emotion as he pleads to just talk it out, followed by a slowed version of the original arrangement and flow.
RAGE consists of an abrupt delivery that makes it the perfect song to invest your own anger into. We hear Ellis’ theme of repetition at its best here as he reiterates And we did it for fun, eh? until he cuts himself off on the final anticipated fun, eh?, abandoning the question altogether.
For the first half of BART GETS AN F, it’s less ‘loud’ or ‘rageful’ and more contemplative, up until the instrumental adapts to the lyrics. I tried my best and it wasn’t enough is a lyric also expressed in PHANTOM PAIN, but this time expressed with a lot more ‘RAGE’ – the track that separates these interconnected lyrics.
You can listen to RONIN here: