Manchester- based trumpeter and composer Matthew Halsall has always been forthcoming about his devotion to Transcendental Meditation and, judging by the almost supernaturally relaxed vibe on this new album (his first since 2015's Into Forever), his practice is paying off. He'd probably be the first to admit that, as an instrumentalist, he's not exactly a fire-breathing virtuoso. With a clear and unruffled tone, his statements feel like the patient unfolding of simple themes that are always just holding back from becoming what might normally be called a solo.

Likewise, his compositions rarely burn or even smoulder, seemingly content to float in a cloud of fluffy relaxation, with Gavin Barras' chunky bass grooves providing just enough propulsion to keep them off the ground. There's a hint of Jon Hassell's global-utopian ‘Fourth World’ concept too, with kalimba and harp suggesting a sort of airbrushed ersatz exoticism and pianist Liviu Gheorghe even laying out some vaguely ‘oriental’ chords. Matt Cliffe injects a little welcome spice on sax and flute but, overall, Halsall's meditative jams are almost offensively inoffensive.