As a testament of pain and a charting of the current times we’re faced with in the midst of gun violence and a larger sentiment of racial tensions, Jordannah Elizabeth‘s newest EP, Borders, is a sit down and grieve and heal type of release. Specifically released as a tribute to those who were victims and targets of the mass shooting that occurred on June 17 of this year at Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church  in Charleston, South Carolina, the four-track EP charts the pain and love that comes out of a devastating event such as this.

From the gospel sound of tracks like “Charleston (Settled In The Lord)” which features producer and musician Breck Omar Brunson to the singer-songwriter experimental folk sound of  “Run Away”, Borders is a true sit down and listen album. You won’t want to miss a lyric.

However, the music doesn’t falter at that end. Elizabeth works especially hard at retaining the authenticity and stripped down sound of the music.

“I wanted a very open and real sound to album. When I do folk acoustic music, we do very little retouching. What you hear is everything that was happening in the room. Nothing gets cut out. Breck even kept a false start on ‘Run Away’ because he gets me and he gets early Black music and blues. It is what it is. No pretenses. Everything is used to bring the listener along on the journey.”

The album is available for free via BandCamp and can be streamed below.