Sinitus Tempo is a producer from Mount Rainier, Maryland who has been working at a steady and prolific pace for over a decade now. Case in point, his last release, BUD, came out just this past December. Now he’s already back with a new album, Heavens Footprint.

Over the past ten-plus years, there have been so many mediocre instrumental downtempo releases, it really did a disservice to the subgenre. I get that it’s an easy way for amateur producers to get their feet under them, but once upon a time, those were just demos that only a few people heard. Now the internet is just flooded with a plethora of generic, forgettable downtempo releases every which way you turn your head. The shame of this is that it makes it harder to find talented artists like Sinitus Tempo, who are making some truly gorgeous and well-crafted instrumental hip hop. On Heavens Footprint, he’s not doing anything that far outside the box. Instead, he’s just taking the time and care to compose some gentle songs with boom bap drums, jazz piano melodies, and lush arrangements in such a way that it really captures your imagination. The whole project flows incredibly well from start to finish, with enough variety and development that you never get stuck in a rut as you’re listening to it. It’s incredibly soothing and provides a nice soundtrack for moments of meditation and reflection.

In these strange and troubling times that we live in, it is nice to know that someone like Sinitus Tempo is providing the music to help us calm our nerves and center ourselves. Heavens Footprint is what a downtempo album should be – thoughtful, emotionally moving, and well-developed.