In September, British Cypriot A!MS released a new record titled PEAK SEASON. With that, A!MS made it clear that his ambitions and drive are genuine, and what emerged was a genre-blending, border-hopping declaration of unique artistic identity.
Across nine tracks, A!MS fuses hard-hitting beats with airy, melodic songs, all wrapped in a clean, confident production that gives each instrument and vocal enough space to breathe. The sonic palette is surprisingly expansive: gritty rap verses slide into smooth melodic croons, percussion layers pulse with club-ready energy, and slick basslines weave between Mediterranean accents. The record is dripping with minor-key riffs, hand-played percussion, soft synth ambience, and string motifs that instantly transport you to a seaside getaway. The mix is polished, but not sterile; energetic, but not overcrowded. It’s a careful balance that allows the album to feel both authentic and radio-capable.
Part of what makes PEAK SEASON compelling is the professional reach and range of its collaborators. Co-produced alongside global chart-topping duo Cool & Dre and featuring contributions from Antaeus, Michelin Shin, Golden, and others, the album arrives with heavyweight muscle behind it, yet the sound remains distinctly A!MS. Tracks like “Light & Love,” a standout collaboration with Julian Marley, Antaeus, and Hypertone, radiate unity and upliftment, carrying echoes of Bob Marley’s island warmth. Meanwhile “Need Somebody,” featuring UK hitmaker ArrDee, leans into infectious Afrobeat energy without sacrificing the signature Global Street identity.
The very foundations of this album are shaped by place. Created in Cyprus, what A!MS calls a “music industry desert,” PEAK SEASON was forged far from London’s hustle and industry noise, and that distance proves an advantage, at least it did for A!MS. Much like Jamaica served Bob Marley as a creative refuge, Cyprus became A!MS’ creative haven—a place where global, genre-resistant creativity could take root. His multicultural background, Cypriot, Lebanese, and Italian, threads subtly through the album’s textures, giving the project both a sense of heritage and a forward-looking, world-built attitude.
The momentum around the release spills into real-world energy, too. As he gears up for summer, A!MS brings his Wave Fests back to WaterWorld WaterPark in Ayia Napa. Wave Fests are massive, multi-sensory events powered by what’s touted as the largest sound system in the Mediterranean. With artists like ArrDee, Lil Pump, B Young, Dappy, Oxlade, Ramz, Wiley, ZieZie, and A!MS himself performing, the festivals underline the very ethos of Global Street: a genre born everywhere, for everyone.
Ultimately, PEAK SEASON succeeds because it doesn’t feel like A!MS is trying to fit into anyone else’s mold. He isn’t stepping into the space between genres, rather, he’s making his own. The album is a vibrant, ambitious, and confident proof of concept, one that signals not just where A!MS is headed, but where global music culture could be headed with him. And if this is his “peak season,” it feels like the world may just be catching up.
Listen here: https://open.spotify.com/album/2qrlZrd3vHcB26h2uvkUlA
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