Meli Levi takes stock and finds that All Things May Be on their intensely personal new folk-rock EP — showcasing today on Tinnitist.
Singer-songwriter Levi recently returned to music after a transformative five-year hiatus, studying meditation-based healing full-time. Today, they write with a reverence for the transformative capabilities of music. “A song can recall a powerful memory or inspire someone to forgive a person they’ve been upset at — music has that power — and I try to be aware of what I put out in the world with my songs,” they say.
Fittingly, All Things May Be is a warmly emotive patchwork of memories and moments. Crisply self-produced by Levi at Boxer Lodge Studios in Napa, the EP follows their critically acclaimed debut EP Crowned, which was co-produced with Grammy winner Isha Erskine. All Things May Be possesses an organic, band-playing-in-the-room sensibility. Shining throughout are Levi’s richly expressive vocals, imaginative arrangements, thoughtful production and accomplished guitar playing.
Levi’s aesthetic has been best described as a mix of folk and alt-rock with a splash of blues. Lyrically and conceptually, their songs are informed by their complex familial relationships, their healing from alcohol and substance abuse, their experiences as a meditator and their own journey in the music biz. “I am at a point where I see a lot of males in the industry and, as a queer female, I want to be the change I see, and hear, in the world,” they say.
The EP opens with emotional immediacy on Every Song I Sing, an ode to Levi’s relationship with their mother whom they haven’t seen since they were five. Meli’s mom is from Tennessee, and their dad is from Detroit. In tribute to both, the song features subtle influences of country and Motown, along with some powerful words:
“There was so much about that time
That I couldn’t talk about until now
We were a thousand miles apart
You still left your mark.”
The moody Move With Me glistens with taut grooves, a meditative sequence of chords, and cathartically healing lyrics:
“Tell me how you feel
Don’t turn away, don’t shut down
Just let it move
Be yourself, I’ll be myself
We’ll make sounds
And we’ll let these old wounds heal…
Life is not a solitary journey.”
The EP concludes with the cinematic All Things May Be. Here, Levi’s acoustic strumming pattern has a Western feel that combined with subtle layers of vintage synths and dreamy harmonies lends it an immersive quality.
Levi’s songwriting and overall musicality have been shaped by being a classically trained singer in choirs weaned on jazz, madrigals, and show tunes from middle school through high school. Eventually, they got fed up with the rigidity of formal training. In artistic defiance, they picked up a guitar and organically found their way as a singer-songwriter.
Listen to All Things May Be below, watch the videos for Close To You and Echo In A Valley above, and find Meli Levi on their website, Instagram, TikTok, Twitter and Threads.
