I just keep coming back to this little three song EP and I finally realized why. So I wrote about it because more people need to get familiar with Project Pablo.

I discovered Project Pablo’s debut album I Want To Believe just a little too late to end up on my best of 2015 list, which is a shame because it might have made a perfect spot somewhere in the middle. I was so immediately struck, I added it to my current yearly list before realizing how late I was.

Published by 1080p Collection, home of some of the most forward-thinking electronic music today, I Want To Believe was a bright, bold, and mostly fun revelation. The record was a sudden rush of mystical, spaced-out house music that felt custom-made for my particular tastes. Being raised on a diet of video games, sci-fi, and dance music means that I rarely enjoy that feeling.

Fast forward to last month, when I realize Pablo has already released a few brief EPs in 2016, stretching his sound in a variety of directions. The best of all might be Beaubien Dream, a three song suite with balearic overtones and a dynamic pastel synthesizer aesthetic.

The songs here are take their time to unfold, breathing in a misty nocturnal atmosphere. I’m reminded of night flights over the ocean, nervous first dates walking barefoot in the summer, and those rare, relaxed childhood moments when I just let Sonic the Hedgehog stand there in the brightly colored digital foliage. The beats are a jumping off point for textural exploration: horns, bells, breezy synth tones, muted drums, and on the final track, live bass and guitar played by Jeremy Dabrowski and Rory Seydel, respectively.

It’s the little details that elevate this compact suite, making it one of my most replayed releases of 2016. It slots in right alongside the dreamy charm of artists like Soichi Terada and CFCF, finding a perfect balance between nostalgic melancholy and technicolor uplift.

I’ve been looping this set every day at work, first thing in the morning. You can hear it yourself right here:

Beaubien Dream can be streamed on Spotify or purchased digitally from Bandcamp or on vinyl from Montreal’s Beaubien Ouest label.