Guitarist and producer Tom Ford is a familiar figure in session work around the UK and US, popping up in many situations: recent credits stretch from pianist Rebecca Nash's album Peaceful King, and an ambient-adjacent trio with Percy Pursglove and Chris Mapp, to work with Chris Dave and the Drumhedz, plus the live bands of Poppy Ajudha and Reuben James. His second EP, The Return of the Tennis Champions, puts all of those influences to one side and delves into what Ford himself is really trying to say.

Still, his friends are along for the ride, with a completely new line-up for almost every track. It's amazing that, with a constantly changing cast, something coherent forms, but it does, thanks to Ford's production skills, which gives the whole thing a uniform retro veneer, like a musical Instagram filter. What emerges smooths out the differences between genres, sitting relaxedly between trip-hop, funk, pop and soul: for those seeking improvisation, there are opportune moments for Ford to flex his soloing skills on the poppy pastiche ‘1988’, and some cool flute sounds from Malik Mezzardi on slinky, Dilla-ish cut ‘when this day comes’. With remote collaborations and a real emphasis on production, expect more releases to sound like this in the coming years.