On Gateway Experience, Witch Prophet’s Ayo Leilani turns her embodied sound inward, making sense of a lifetime of medical challenges involving seizures. The songs on Gateway Experience challenge the alarming imagery her affected mental state provides (“Energy Vampire”), along with spelling out the crashing lows that come with it (“I’m Scared”). Throughout, her artistic partner SUN SUN’s production explores new, enticing canvases for Leilani’s voice to float over.
By Natasha Rainey
The indie-folk songwriter explores the themes of memory, family, and the search for a place to belong on her debut EP.