Imagine driving with the top down next to that new lover you can't quite understand just yet. The salty air, sun-kissed skin - and dare I say - some seaweed in their hair. Now imagine six songs playing on repeat, which sound weirdly familiar but also damn fresh at the same time.

Chances are you're listening to Kraak & Smaak's new EP - Scirocco - whilst driving along in all white, all linen through the French Riviera.

The package has an undeniable ambiance méditerranéenne to it; take for instance the EP opener The Cypress Garden, which feels as if you're entering a small Sicilian village with just a tad too many Celsius tapping the meters.

In turn, French Shuffle sounds as if AIR and Danger Mouse came together and drank Albariño until the early hours, whilst Cul de Sac keeps reminding me of that gorgeous person on the train I'll probably never see again.

Moreover, focus track and EP name giver Scirocco, with Fred Nevché, is a true testament to Kraak's ability of tastefully incorporating influences from any chosen direction. In this spoken word track we can hear the Marseillais poet reciting a highly descriptive and tangible story; inspired by Death In Venice, Nevché guides us through the art of seduction and connection.

The boys have done it again; they've made a classic genre sound vibrant and have crafted a rich and emotionally pleasing record. Across all the tracks we feel as if we're immersed in a different place and time and in doing so Kraak & Smaak might have just have made one of their most visually rich pieces of sound to date.

'Kraak & Smaak – Scirocco' will be digitally available from 10-09-21 onwards via Boogie Angst. The vinyl version, which includes a bonus track, will be released asap afterwards.[info sheet from distr.]