On his 2017 EP, Sea-sides, Medisin established a sound that called into question the roles of dreampop and alternative R&B. The album was presented in a framework of skits where he plays his music for friends who criticize his slower numbers and encourage his more upbeat, pop-worthy work because his sad songs are “just not dancey.”

It’s pretty ironic, then, that mainstream pop radio in 2018 opened the floodgates to some of the moodiest chart hits in recent memory, with the likes of Post Malone, XXXTentacion, and Juice Wrld climbing the charts. Even so, Medisin’s work plays as much outside of this trend as it does within it.

Where Sea-sides was a debate of style, 2018’s 539 / 918 is a pursuit of the muse. With an assortment of musical skills in his backpack, Medisin ventures on a journey of the heart that takes the listener through an eclectic assortment of sounds and feelings in just over 20 minutes.

“Broke 33” kicks off with autotuned falsetto, shrouded guitar, and a spacious undercurrent of drums that eventually rise into a brief splash of trap production. “Exhaust” then plays up the falsetto with overdubs, not unlike the signature folktronica leanings of Justin Vernon, but just long enough to let the listener settle in with the aesthetic. In the second half of the track, acclaimed guest rapper St. Domonick comes through, delivering a verse that fits in Medisin’s sonic wheelhouse but nonetheless comes as a surprise. From here out, whether it’s the spacey soul of “Breathe” or the acoustic campfire vibe of “Cigarettes92”, the album forges forward with a continued refusal to adhere to a formula.

Somehow, though, despite its smorgasbord of influences, 539 / 918 never sounds like it’s trying to be anything but true to itself. That must be the magic behind the album, because on paper, a short tracklist that pits acoustic folk guitars and autotuned trap together shouldn’t work, but here, it flourishes. Medisin has a staggering artistic voice that comes through in everything he touches on this EP, and it’s one that hopefully will continue to grow and make the rounds on projects to come because he is on to something, and it’s big.