In the style of American band Snarky Puppy, Monsieur MÂLÂ combines virtuosic musicianship with an almost unlimited array of influences. Following two stand-out EPs and a handful of singles, their eponymous debut album paints a colourfully eclectic portrait of their city, Paris, as a natural progression of their own distinctive cultural identities.

Opening track ‘Storyteller’ combines the sonic textures of Weather Report with the swirling euphoria of Return To Forever, complete with Pastorius-like fills by bassist Swaéli Mbappé. Meanwhile, ‘al Fayhaa’ moves into new sonic territories, with Yoann Denier’s driving, gnawa-adjacent drumming culminating in a wonderfully intense, angular ensemble riff. ‘Fly fly’ is another stylistic breath of fresh air, this time hailing from Brazil, replete with funky samba rhythms and fast-paced, Hermeto Pascoal-like melodies. Elsewhere, the band gets more electric. Dark synth textures characterise both ‘Carnaval’, which features a spacey keyboard breakdown courtesy of Nicholas Vella, and the glitchy, more cinematic ‘Nguinya Mulema’.

For some, the album listening experience might be slightly disconcerting in its maximalist approach to styles and genres. But for those who are prepared, it’s an imaginative and uninhibited journey of 21st Century sounds, masterfully done by five first-rate musicians.