You wouldn’t expect someone who makes such sunny music, the real pep in your step variety, to have waved goodbye to the golden shores of Hawaii in favour of Liverpool, but it makes sense when it comes to Eli Smart — the Beatles are from there, after all. Having grown up in a family of musicians, Eli was sonically surrounded by the greats. In no time, he had mastered the guitar and created his own brand of pop positivity, ‘Aloha Soul’, which blends 60’s rock, jazz and Tropicana with the laconic vibes of his native Kauai. It’s the type of music you listen to when you want to be transported to a tropical locale with all the beachy signifiers; surf, surfboards, and salty, sunkissed skin. In short, it’s a mood.
