Audiopile Review: Right from the opening track of slow strings and crackling ambience on “Everything Forgotten Flows”, long-time listeners of Priori will surely recognize the Montreal-based producer and head of NAFF is moving into new territory. While his 2020 debut, On A Nimbus, as well as the follow-up, Your Own Power, toyed with and updated the ambient-techno template that had been set in the ‘90s, This but More sounds like Priori is truly coming into his own, crafting a reflective set of tracks that defies any simplistic categorization. Featuring a handful of guests, Priori fluidly moves between d&b-infused dream-pop on “Wake” with James K handling the heavenly vocals, textural shoegaze-y bliss featuring Ben Bondy on “Moonstone”, old pal Ex-Terrestrial joins for an ambient-folk drifter “Eternal”, and Sabola jumps in on two tracks—the churning dubby pulse of “Learn To Fly” and the loose-limbed downtempo of album ender “To See Our Secret Die”. This but More is actually reminiscent of Naemi’s collab-heavy Dust Devil from earlier this year, both producers sprawling outwards for more tactile and sensuous listening that feels like a huge leap forward. It’s an absolute stunner and his best album to date.

Priori delved into This But More from September 2023 to March 2024, drawing upon archival recordings and fresh ideas. “This album is about healing,” Priori explains. “Not necessarily ‘music that heals’, but about the process in its ups and downs, its beauty and uncertainty.” Themes of protection, healing, sleep, and decay naturally emerged during the creative journey.