Innocent Country, the 2015 collaboration between Quelle Chris and producer Chris Keys, signaled a noticeable shift from the stoner-boast verses that were the rapper's stock-in-trade to that point. The album was introspective and ruminative, and Quelle's writing unflinchingly stared down life's darker corners. Now, five years later, that sharp, insightful approach has come to define Quelle Chris records to such a great degree that Innocent Country 2—a sequel to the album that kickstarted this phase of his career—feels like a counterpoint as much as a counterpart.

If the first Innocent Country was compellingly downbeat, IC2 recognizes the need to break out of that frustration to find solace in human connection. The moments of graceful tension in Keys's productions add subtle shading to even the album's brighter moments—his distorted-tape pianos and middle-distance drums feel like a deep gaze across a distant memory—and a spirit of togetherness, whether it's in the ancestral recall of the Dr. Tennille feature 'Ritual' or the social-media confab 'Black Twitter,' is as present in the lyrics as it is in the album's sprawling guest list.

On BLACK ICE vinyl.