Cosmo Kuma— Cafe au New York, Vol. 5

There's no denying this is an interesting premise for an EP, and there must be some level of commitment to the idea given that this is already the fifth in the series.

The EP takes you on a sonic journey through four of Brooklyn's most beloved coffee shops.

Opening with "Black Coffee - Devoción (Williamsburg)", the guitar immediately struck a chord with me, along with the ambient sound that surrounds it. It's light, relaxed and you can't help but be disarmed by it. It doesn't really go anywhere, but I think that's part of the charm. You're suspended in this little world and, if anything, the track doesn't last as long as I would have liked.

"Iced Latte - Hungry Ghost Cafe (Fort Greene)" has a slightly different edge. It still has that same chilled-out vibe, but there's an almost sci-fi tinge to it, I'm sure owing to the synth that underpins the track and gives it its sense of movement.

If the first two are chill, "Cappuccino - Café Grumpy (Greenpoint)" manages to drop down a couple more gears. The piano does the heavy lifting here, but I'd say much of the heart of the track comes from the ambient sound of the weather. Again, you can't help but want to stay in that bubble for much longer than the time allocated.

The EP closes with "Chai Latte - SEY Coffee (Bushwick)", which I think has more of a jazz feel to it. But there's something slightly off-putting about the tone and the piano chords used. It has a weirdly unhinged quality to it, which maybe is a reflection of Bushwick, I don't know. For me, though, it's probably the weaker track on the EP.

Cosmo Kuma is in fact a sub-label of Nettwerk Music, which makes this a somewhat unconventional release. Overall, it's been an interesting journey, but I think my biggest takeaway is just how short the tracks are. The first one in particular could have been two, three or even four times as long, so just when you're getting into the zone, they finish.

In some ways, the EP almost serves as a sampler, giving you a brief taste of each location and atmosphere. The problem is that there's currently no real way to sate that appetite. So far, the releases have primarily been EPs, apart from the LA album, which is much longer at around 16 tracks, although those tracks are still all relatively short.

Perhaps that's the point. These are little snapshots rather than fully developed compositions. But personally, I'd love to have been given the opportunity to sit in some of these spaces a little longer.