Some of the most potent art is created under constraint, whether self-imposed or forced by fate. Limits, the new EP from Mt. Si — a collaboration between Classixx’s Michael David, Superhumanoids’ Sarah Chernoff, and Kisses’ Jesse Kivel — “consists of recordings that were salvaged from a crashed hard drive, essentially forcing us to work with the creative choices we made early on,” as David tells it. “As a result, we decided to name the EP Limits and really embrace those restrictions. We’re happy with the final productions after all and are glad things played out the way they did.” The result is a promising collection of cool and confident synth-pop. Some of these songs have been floating around for a while — “Oh” and “True” were released as singles over a year ago — but hearing them all back-to-back makes it evident what a fertile vein Mt. Si have tapped into with their project. On the two newer tracks here — “Either / Or” and “Baby You’re The Best” — the group opts for detachment. The hard grooves that were present on the first half disintegrate into sparkling puffs; Chernoff’s voice becomes the tether for airier production and a more free-flowing feel. It’s a testament to the trio’s skill that they sound equally comfortable in both modes. Listen to Limits in full below.

The Limits EP is out 2/5 via Cascine. Pre-order it here.