Joe Nora is a producer from Los Angeles who has been releasing music for a little over five years. In that time, he’s put out projects on Inner Ocean and Stereofox, and produced a track for R.A.P. Ferreira. He made his debut on Friends of Friends last August, when he dropped his album, Toy Animals. Now he returns with a new EP, Still Life.

After making a big break through last year, Joe Nora keeps things chill and simple on Still Life EP. We get some interesting contributions from a variety of guests that include Wakai, Kristoffer Eikrem, fantompower, and luwwn, who bring a different approach to the mic and give the project a little variety across the tracks. That said, the through line on the EP is chill, downtempo West Coast beats. There’s a nice sophistication to Nora’s beats, but the overall feel to the project is the soundtrack to a lazy summer day when you have nowhere in particular to be, and you just want to take it easy. It’s not a big statement, but it is one that Nora put the work into so that there’s enough variety and development that you don’t just tune it out after a little while. It’s beautiful and engaging, but always keeping things light and breezy.

Still Life EP is a nice follow up to Toy Animals. Joe Nora isn’t trying to make a big statement or swing for the fences with this release, he’s just sticking to what he knows and doing it very well. It’s got plenty of gorgeous downtempo vibes that will put your mind at ease and let you escape the world for a few minutes.