Being a mixture of invention and discovery, jazz is really the least empirical of musics, so as Empirical settles into its artistic residency at Trinity Laban Conservatoire, it's tempting to ponder which aspects of this third album belie the band's name, perhaps concluding that it's the un-empirical elements that define Empirical's music and possibly a good chunk of the band's success.

The clipped arrangements and understated melodies with their repetitions and variations are all more composerly than jazzy, but the sheer flow of an Empirical performance, even when filtered through the recording process, is discreetly potent; the most angular of phrases and the murkiest/ sparkliest of atmospheres glide along like Teflon-coated snakes. It takes a particular kind of musicality to make this work and it's in evidence here, with the occasional addition of some mellifluousness from Wright and Fogel. The recorded sound is tight and detailed.