After releasing the ambitious full-length Cosmogramma earlier this year, L.A.-based producer Flying Lotus comes right back to give us a seven-song EP. While it may not have the ambition of its predecessor, it’s a solid record any way you slice it.

In a relatively short time, Flying Lotus proved he was capable of harnessing a wide array of musical influences. In less than twenty minutes, we’re taken on quite a journey. “Kill Your Co-workers” is deceptively gentle, as a simple melody builds over warm keyboards. But tension slowly creeps in with dissonant undertones, and the façade of a beautiful day starts to turn overcast. “Pie Face” is the most urgent song on the EP, featuring my favorite drum track on the release. “Time Vampires” takes us through a murky dreamscape, with what sounds like a birdsong floating above layers of swirling keyboards and driven by a nice downtempo hip hop beat.

On paper it looks like a small and insubstantial release, but it feels much more complete than one might expect. It’s not trading in Cosmogramma’s grandeur, but that’s neither good nor bad. It’s an enjoyable collection of instrumental hip hop/electronic music that is well-written, sequenced, and performed. You couldn’t ask for more out of an EP.