Mustafa Ahmed released his debut project yesterday. When Smoke Rises is named after the rapper Smoke Dawg, a close friend who was murdered in 2018, and on it, the Toronto artist sings about lost friends and the gentrification of his Regent Park neighborhood. Mustafa makes ethereal acoustic folk music, but big-name beatmakers like Frank Dukes, James Blake, and Jamie xx contributed subtly atmospheric production, and British singer Sampha appears on the plaintive duet “Capo.” Stream When Smoke Rises below.

When Smoke Rises is out now on Mustafa’s own Regent Park Songs imprint.