It was only back in August 2016 that we were first introduced the Tucson emcee known as Lando Chill, when he dropped his excellent debut album, For Mark, Your Son. He quickly followed that up with an EP, and then took another huge step forward with his sophomore album, The Boy Who Spoke To The Wind, which came out last summer and made its way onto our own year-end Top Twenty. With no signs of slowing down, Chill is back once again with an EP, māyā. maia. mayu.

Not only has Lando Chill been prolific, but he’s also shown a tremendous amount of growth in this time, consistently expanding his sound and he his lyrical content. For his latest EP, he works with his consistent collaborator The Lasso on production, and also enlists the help of Chris Pierce on bass and Maya Vera on vocals. Together, they take jazz, hip hop and R&B from the last album and move further in the direction of Neo-Soul. What this means in practical terms is that we get a lot of slower grooves, with warm bass lines and gentle keyboards, and a delivery from Chill on the mic that moves more into the singing/crooning territory. He’s got great tone and nice pitch to his voice, and he never tries to do too much with it. He keeps his vocal lines within the song, never overshadowing the complete composition. What makes this EP compelling is that while there has been plenty of Neo-Soul before this release, Chill and his collaborators have made this style their own, not sounding like any one particular influence. This comes from really developing the material so that each song takes you on an emotional journey, and from making sure the lyrics are honest and heartfelt, never falling into the trappings of cliché. There aren’t any cut-and-paste slow jams or corny love songs here, just six honest and varied songs that touch on love and life. They are complex enough to reward on multiple listens, with so many different subtle pieces to pick up on each time, but Chill also manages to keep things accessible, so that you can form an attachment to the EP right away when you put it on.

māyā. maia. mayu is only six songs long, but there is a lot packed into this EP. Lando Chill keeps pushing himself to create interesting and emotionally honest music, and once again steps outside the expectations that listeners might have for him. I can’t wait to see where he goes from here.