Maara

Narrative-driven 14-track LP that builds a complete world across four sides. Maara crafts leftfield, trip hop and IDM that feels deliberately plotted rather than scattered - 'The Chase' stands as a particular highlight, though the whole arc rewards close listening.

This is thoughtful, angular music that sits somewhere between the cerebral architecture of IDM and the cinematic weight of trip hop, but pulled decidedly into stranger territory. NAFF, the Montreal/Toronto imprint, has consistently championed artists working at these intersections - there's a commitment to compositional complexity and atmospheric depth here that distinguishes the label's output.

Ultra Villain announces itself as a statement rather than a collection. The kind of record that feels like it's been waiting for the right moment to exist.