9/10

While fans will contest that this is actually their fifth studio release, counting last year's collaborative release with Ghostface Killah, BADBADNOTGOOD return to deliver more of their forward-thinking instrumental beats on their latest work 'IV'. Over the last few years, the group have made a name for themselves as the purveyors of diverse and interesting background instrumentals, and while this album is more of the same, they aren't looking squarely at the hip-hop scene for inspiration this time.

While the band at heart are mainly a jazz outfit, this fusion with rappers of all creeds gave them a unique edge over others in their position. But 'IV' sees them move further back to their roots to work with singers and vocalists who can help bring out the groove in their compositions. The result is an incredibly well-produced release that sees them collaborate with a whole range of styles, making this possibly their most eclectic record to date.

Finding a band with this much chemistry is such a rare thing, you are almost blown away by how well they work together. With their reputation still very much intact, BADBADNOTGOOD have given us their crowd-pleaser and what a record it is.