High Time, as it opens with tribal rhythms and arithmetic chanting, will likely prompt listeners to think “Oh, another release from Thrill Jockey,” or “This is really freakin’ cool.”

That’s not to say Pit Er Pat’s sixth release can’t be both. Singer, pianist, guitarist, and kalimba-ist Fay Davis-Jeffers shines as she somehow channels both Thom Yorke and Orchestra Baobab. Case in point—songs like the Thrill Jockey-dubbed slink funk “Omen”, which also could’ve also been titled after its memorable refrain “Take off all your clothes”.

To the uninitiated, some tracks may seem a little long, but this is “indie/Nu Jazz” after all, and no one song seems interminable. Thrill Jockey, ever a label for the art, also points out that the album is “layered with many delicate details, [but it] was not assembled like a collage.” This simple fact—although it asks for a little listener participation—makes High Time all the more rewarding, especially when it comes to identifying in “Trod Along” what appears to be a noise the Dilophosaurus made before squirting venom into Newman’s eyes.

A-