There is an ease in which Basil Panagop easily commands attention. His sophomore release 6AM embodies that ethos, spinning together three interwoven themes across 24 hours beginning in the early hours to the night and back to dawn again. It’s not a conceptual album per se, but it does weave Panagop’s melodic rap and introspective lyricism and ability to stretch far beyond specific genres.

“Act One (Forward)” and “Act Two (Insomniac)” provide sonic contextual guidance as to where Panagop is headed with the former mentioning dreams and waking up and the latter featuring slightly eerie and isolated nighttime noises. The beat-driven “Limelight” and its accompanying music video explores the juxtaposition between the day and the night, in which he sings “Another night with the limelight.”

A standout on the record is “Only Diamonds Cut Diamonds” which sees Panagop’s solitary vocals soar against a subdued but poignant piano. The album’s title track “Six AM” is Panagop at his best: delivering punchy, introspective lyricism against an atmospheric sonic backdrop. “Morning Voodoo” is a cathartic release (and a collaboration with band Fauves) in which Panagop is almost waking up with a new chapter ahead of him both through the themes he explores within the music and releasing it into the world.

At its core, 6AM is a portrait of Basil Panagop as an artist at this current moment — a man not stuck frozen in time, but one that is growing with every new line, beat, and release. As a conceptual album, 6AM serves as an exciting moment for him and where audiences can see him going next.

6AM is out now.