Ten years ago, Aaron Mader, AKA Lazerbeak, dropped Lava Bangers—a 20-track exhibition of underground hip-hop power and maximalism. Like Run the Jewels’ El-P, Lazerbeak landed devastating punches with his beats, creating bangers in the purest sense of the word and capturing the attention of superstar-in-the-making Lizzo. Since producing the “About Damn Time” star’s entire debut album, Lizzobangers, Lazerbeak has lent his high-energy excellence to Lin-Manuel Miranda’s The Hamilton Mixtape, Banks’ III, Trampled By Turtles’ Wild Animals Remixes, as well as a slew of collaborations with the Doomtree collective.

With his solo work, Lazerbeak has recently adopted a more minimalist approach. The joys of becoming a father of three combined with the hardships of the COVID-19 pandemic and the rest of the world’s chaos necessitated a curiosity toward mindfulness for the producer, leading to a trio of albums named after his children. These seven-track records lean more on ambience than ambition, peace than punch, space than speed. Instead of throwing in “everything and the kitchen sink” on these projects, Lazerbeak exhibits maturity and restraint by stripping it all away to focus on the barest of essentials.

Now ten years removed from his first beat tape and having scratched the ambient itch, Lazerbeak is ready to return to the anthemic instrumentals he first became known for. His newest project, Lava Bangers II (out this November from Doomtree Records), is a 20-track victory lap of sorts showcasing Beak’s myriad talents behind the boards. “It sums up the artist I am right now,” the producer says. “It’s everything from dance music, house, electronic. Of course, there’s still some hardcore hip-hop and nods to the ‘80s and ‘90s R&B that I love.” It would be reductive to call Lava Bangers II a return to form. Instead, it’s a marriage of all the producer’s lessons learned, a culmination of a musical journey marked by curiosity, joy, and passion.

That need to create music for creation’s sake shines through on every one of these 20 tracks. From the heavenly gospel-inspired “On the Sparrow” to the pop-funk glory of “Decades” (someone get Lizzo back on the phone), every rhythm, groove, and harmony is held with care. In a time when the cracks of our world are, “Showing everywhere,” as Beak puts it, Lava Bangers II is an energizing invitation to be present and dance, recapturing the joy of yesterday and holding onto the hope of a healthier future.