Hashfinger is a producer from Bradford, West Yorkshire, in the UK who has been releasing music since the early 2010s. The last time we heard from him was a little over a year ago, when he released his album DANDELIONS. Now he’s back with a new full-length album, Miles Beyond.

Instrumental albums are a difficult endeavor in the world of hip hop – this is no secret in 2020. There are a plethora of mediocre instrumental albums, but few rise to the top and are able to differentiate themselves from the rest of the crowd. Hashfinger has made a lot of instrumental hip hop over the years that has stood out over the years, but that doesn’t always mean that each and every track is going to pass the muster. Going into Miles Beyond, there are plenty of really nice downtempo grooves. It’s good music to chill out to. And while there are several standout tracks, such as the interesting interplay of manipulated vocal samples on “Cascade,” or the funky beat and intoxicating bassline on “Albatros,” there are also chunks of the album that are just “okay.” Nothing’s bad about Miles Beyond, there are just stretches that I know I’m going to forget about later. That’s the real rub with instrumental hip hop. A lot of it is perfectly enjoyable while you’re listening to it in the moment, but a lot of it never rises above that level of just being pleasant. Hashfinger is certainly capable of reaching that next level, and does it on occasion here, but just as often the music just slips into downtempo grooves that don’t do enough work to really get you engaged as a listener.

Miles Beyond isn’t a bad album, but the good moments are spread around just a little too much for it to come together and separate itself from the rest of the back of decent instrumental albums that came out this year. Hopefully Hashfinger will rebound from this one, because he’s certainly capable of a higher level than this.