[Aim]

Berlin’s Moomin is a perfect fit for the labels on which he records. Like his productions, imprints such as Smallville and Aim seem to operate at a perpetual drowsy murmur, rarely venturing anywhere near peak-time sounds (albeit with a few notable exceptions). She Said She Won’t Be That Long Away appears courtesy of the latter and absolutely falls in line with this idea. Its three tracks aren’t too different from the rest of his catalog, showcasing his quiet consistency.

“Beautiful As You Are” is a sultry, spacious introduction. Moomin’s drums are clearly not going anywhere fast, and watery, filtered chords and occasional hits of saxophone top off a dusky — but still fairly lighthearted — arrangement. “Don’t Fly If It’s Foggy” furthers the case for Moomin’s kinship to Omar-S, its stiffly jacking patterns and central, methodically developing bass line standing in sharp contrast to the wooze he deploys on top. A resonant upright bass line dominates “She Said She Won’t Be That Long Away.” It may be the title track, but it makes a lot of sense as a conclusion, its darting drum patterns dwelling in the mood more than driving the piece. Then again, the same could be said for the rest of the EP. It succeeds in compiling some textured, bluesy pieces with a bit of bounce, but its club compatibility is less obvious.