Minneapolis producer Big Cats has made a name for himself by collaborating with such talented emcees as Toki Wright and Homeless, along with several instrumental projects. His last release came one year ago, when teamed up with Chance York to release Highest Self. Now he comes back once again with a year-end present, this time with an instrumental EP, Most Days.

To record the music for Most Days, Big Cats enlisted the help of Nelson Devereaux on sax and flute, Eric Mayson on piano and vocals, Miguel Hurtado on drums, and Lydia Liza on vocals and guitars. Sometimes this means that these instruments are playing live melodies and rhythms, other times this mean that the parts were recorded, sampled, and chopped up by Big Cats. It also means that while Mayson and Liza provide vocals, they don’t sing any lyrics, just tones that blend into the overall soundscape. The overall tone of the EP is one of gorgeous downtempo music, meant for peaceful meditation and self-reflection. Big Cats has a great knack for setting tone, and then having the enough patience to let each song slowly develop and reveal itself at just the right pace. You’re never bored, waiting for the music to go somewhere, and you never just shuffling through a bunch of beats. No, you’re just able to sit back and trust Big Cats to let his compositions unfold, letting this really thoughtful arrangements swirl around your headphones as you get lost in the music.

Most Days doesn’t seem all that special on paper – it just looks like another downtempo instrumental release. What makes it special is how Big Cats takes the time and care to produce some beautiful tracks that develop at a steady pace and take you on an emotional journey.