The WORD? Instrumentals highlight producer Ant’s undeniable talents as the project leans into the classic boom-bap aesthetic. From onset, the album proves to be every bit an exercise in refining and advancing his craft as it is a harkening to the group’s earlier work. While their releases have grown more broodingly cinematic, WORD? reintroduced a sense of lightheartedness.

From album opener “Fleetwood,” with its razor-sharp snares and warm fleshy bassline, to the resonant melody of “Clocked”, there are strong hints of Atmosphere’s nascent years within the sounds. Meanwhile, songs like “Woes”, “Strung” and “Vanish” remain upbeat, compelling listeners to bob their heads. The resulting project seems to pay homage to the ’90s era of hip-hop, while sounding as polished and perfected as one would expect for a 2021 release.

Downloads must be done on a computer.

Tracklisting:

1. Fleetwood (Instrumental)
2. Something (Instrumental)
3. Crumbs (Instrumental)
4. Woes (Instrumental)
5. Strung (Instrumental)
6. Clocked (Instrumental)
7. Sleepless (Instrumental)
8. Distances (Instrumental)
9. Carousel (Instrumental)
10. Vanish (Instrumental)
11. Pressed (Instrumental)
12. Skull (Instrumental)
13. Nekst (Instrumental)
14. Barcade (Instrumental)