Whether evoking the lost utopian communities of the Gulf Islands, eulogizing the socialist origins of the BC Ferries system, or exploring the aftermath of 60s idealism, Mount Maxwell albums have always arrived with an expansive backstory. On first listen, the narrative of ‘The People’s Forest’ seems to be a kind of pagan celebration of British Columbia as it exists in the artist’s imagination, but closer examination reveals enough ambiguous sonic references (to midwifery, whale research, communal living, ghosts) to keep any listener guessing.

Expanding on the approach of last year’s ‘Only Children’, keyboards and drum machines are again complimented by a host of flutes, thumb pianos, hand drums and noisemakers, resulting in a distinctly playful form of electronic music. Clocking in at just under 30 minutes, this is a breathless EP – filled to the brim with glittering synth miniatures and bouyant electro-acoustic beats that bump and jostle against one another like toys in a bathtub. After a long and disheartening year, a much needed offering of light and warmth from the Mount Maxwell camp.