Mirza Ramic doesn’t do anything halfway. 

The musical artist and producer helped to found Arms And Sleepers, an electronic trip hop outfit that was formed back in 2006 and has since released 13 full-lengths and 20 EPs in that time. His latest effort is no less impactful.

What Tomorrow Brings (Pelagic Records) has Post-Rock elements and sparse vocals as the work delves into Ramic’s fleeing of war-torn Bosnia in the early nineties, the loss of his father from that conflict and the war in Ukraine that shares starkly similar circumstances. 

The record boasts seventeen tracks that each evoke different emotions whilst also conjuring various imagery. “Blood Song (ft. Andreas Shuetz)” takes the form of a soundtrack for a how-to YouTube video and is lively, vibrant and thought-provoking throughout. 

Additionally, there are subtle, sparkly electronics (“Who You Were Before”) and mumbly female vocals delivered through a combination of spoken and sung words (“Belfast (ft. Sofia Insua))”. 

The engaging drum beat found on “It’s Easy” helps to progress the record along, as does the consistent melody coursing through “Anaconda”. 

The record itself is divided into four sections: “Innocence,” Melancholy,” “Rupture” and “Reflection,” which can almost stand parallel to the four stages of grief. 

The innocence of living in a region where war and destruction break out; the melancholy of realizing it’s imperative to either uproot and leave everything you know or risk your life; the rupture that inevitably comes with desperately trying to find a new place to call home; and the reflection following such tragic, unimaginable circumstances.

Overall, What Tomorrow Brings stands as a serviceable full-length to have on in the background during chores, deep thought and/or long walks of introspection. There are certainly hip-hop influences found throughout, and the electronic elements successfully resist the urge to completely inundate the listener with over-the-top bombast. 

Buy the album here:
https://wearearmsandsleepers.bandcamp.com/album/what-tomorrow-brings

7 / 10
MATT COOK