Following up on his well-received expansive EP SMALLHAUL, Oak Ay returns with the aptly named SMALLHAUL II. Picking up where the first release left off, Oak Ay draws you further into the cinematic surrounds of his sonic landscapes. Maintaining the vibe of its predecessor, there's a blend of both club-focused cuts and more immersive, downtempo productions. Taken together, it's an absorbing journey rolling from the peak time and riding through the subsequent landing.

Oak Ay originally began as the alias of two self-proclaimed synth nerds from Trondheim, Simen Helbæk Kjølberg and Isak Hannisdal. With several acclaimed releases under their belt and a remix of Kalandra's track 'The Waiting Game' having amassed close to 200 000 Spotify streams, a period of reflection saw Simen return solo under the moniker in 2025.

'Glimmer' opens the EP, a transportive track built on pulsating synth loops, sci-fi steel pans, and a reverberating bassline. Crowd chants and a dose of East Asian-flavoured sitar melodies will soon have your eyes closed and in another reality. Next, 'Dirt Flux' hits with an injection of cosmic trip hop. Big beats, glitching arps, and a cosmos-shaking bassline hypnotise from get-go, before Oak Ay sucks you into an interplanetary wormhole to close out the track.

Landing on the other side, 'Bullit Sense' is part ethereal energy, part immersive electronica. Choice samples and oscillating synths sit atop a chunky drum loop and reverberating bass, creating a cauldron of sound you can't help but get lost within. The journey concludes in the most celestial and fitting fashion with '1654'. Awash with the kind of cleansing vibrations and piano touches that have that rare quality of being able to reset the mind and free it from the noise of everyday life.