L.A’s chameleonic crooner Miguel has issued the second instalment in his free EP series.

Art Dealer Chic Vol 1. scrubbed up pretty well, but the second set in the series is a major step up. ‘Arch N Point’ might begin with the tap of a metronome, but there’s nothing remotely scrappy about it. With its R&B stomp and scowling guitar sounds, it wouldn’t sound out of place on The Weeknd’s Thursday.

Second track ‘…ALL’ shows Miguel shifting allegiances to recent Weeknd antagonist The-Dream. It’s an astral piece of space-age soul, set against a pulsing bassline and Space Invader beeps and bleeps. Miguel, taking time to rep the “fellow outcasts and weirdos”, puts in a charming performance. In short, it’s all kinds of ace.

The bouncy ‘Broads’ is much more cloying than the other two cuts, but is 100% redeemed by the fact that Miguel stops the track midway through to instruct us that he’s leaving the verses blank so that budding collaborators can punch in their own melodies. And that’s what you get: a ‘choose-your-own-adventure’ karaoke instrumental for a track you’ll never have heard before. It’s a winningly oddball way to close an excellent little EP.

The official site offers the EP in return for inputting your ‘hopes and dreams’ – it’s unclear whether this is a kooky gesture, or a shamelessly barefaced bit of market research, but it’s in keeping with Miguel’s sideways way of looking at things. You can, alternatively, download the set directly  here.

Joseph Morpurgo