The five tracks on SFV Acid‘s Neighborhood Archives EP come in various shades of chill. There’s a woozy march of shimmering synth pads and blunted drum programming on “Ashland Slumber,” a post-stoned daze of reverberating keys on “Seaside Cruisin’ Tribe,” and a some wonky, lullaby-like house on “Bean Criteria.” In this way, the LA-based producer’s style revels in nuance; every song glides or bobs along with a pervasive sense of calm, but each reveals a familiar, although slightly different, gradient of aloof and easygoing beauty.

The two tracks on the record titled “As Is” demonstrate the producer’s discerning ability to make tracks that may be very similar, but are also distinctly different from one another. SFV Acid’s first take is punchier, with an adroit and syncopated rhythm underlying the sputtering of his 303s. Both versions of “As Is” share the dreamlike trance of breezily wafting synth chords, but the second seems more toned down, shifting the focus toward the low end and centering the track around deeper, croaking sounds as opposed to the waggling, forget-me-not spunk of the former’s sticky acid melodies.

Acid plays a major role on Neighborhood Archives, but the EP runs the risk of pulling too heavily from that sound palette. SFV Acid appears to be particularly enamored with acid house’s squishy 303s, as the producer uses burbling synth sounds on nearly every track. At times, the Neighborhood Archives EP is like a love letter to the sounds of days past; as such, the record could possibly come off as stale, particularly to listeners who are already familiar with the styles he’s drawing upon.

Thankfully though, the degree to which SFV Acid replicates old sounds doesn’t take away from the EP’s delightful ability to soothe and invigorate. Tracks like “Seaside Cruisin’ Tribe” twinkle with the pretty, sparkly synths and cloudy pads reminiscent of ’90s techno and house tunes in the lineage of Theo Parrish. Watery pads flutter dreamily overhead as the song’s angular beat motors on, boosting the energy and driving the production through a wandering four-minute journey. It’s a prime example of how SFV Acid tweaks his tracks with an astute attention to detail, ultimately lending him the ability to zoom in and linger on the subtleties of laid-back moods.