Minor AF, the fifth studio LP from ambient trip-hop duo Aquamarine Space Unicorns, is a 40-minute, mostly instrumental road trip across both land and sea. Self-described as beings “born on a planet in an aquamarine galaxy [who] rode on wild space unicorns to Seattle,” Lily Bell and Joyanna M have created a picture of the world told through the lens of a magic carpet ride through space.

“Without Reason,” the opening track of Minor AF, opens the album with a calming melody on the xylophone and reverb that doesn’t feel linked to any specific tone — it places the listener in a room filled with mirrors and prisms, reflecting light and sound. While the actual musicality of this track is simple and somewhat repetitive, it succeeds at creating a cooling aura of all-encompassing sound.

After “Without Reason” drops out, “What Are We Waiting For” comes in rather suddenly — the time between tracks feels smushed at best, throughout the album — and it follows the same light, airy, prismatic feel of its predecessor. Using the same guitar line as “Without Reason” slowed down by half, “What Are We Waiting For” feels more like an elongated intro. Neither of these songs tell a gripping story, but, filled with soothing drum beats and flowing melodic lines, the first two tracks of Minor AF create a simple but open atmosphere.

Third track “Tinderbox” is one of two tracks on the LP that feature vocals, to the album’s detriment. The song centers around the twice-repeated chorus: “this tinderbox of hateful love / this edifice we’re wound around / what will be the match that strikes and burns the whole thing down.” While this could be a novel, clever way of reimagining our modern world of online dating, it falls flat. The melody is unenticing, and other vocal lines, such as “you say you’ll die if I go away / but will you really come for me,” seem underwritten. Vocalist Bell has an interesting sound, a la Alanis Morissette on Xanax, but the trippiness of the first two songs is undone by the real-world-rooted lyrics and largely meandering melody.

However, after “Tinderbox,” the album picks up. Fourth track “Gale” is a pleasant little ditty that feels like frolicking through a field of sunflowers, and it brings back the hope and excitement of listening to a new project. But it’s “Beggar,” “Roller Disco,” and “Luna,” tracks five through seven, that showcase the true promise of Aquamarine Space Unicorns.

“Beggar,” a darker tune than “Gale,” is filled with chunky, fuzzy cymbal beats that draw the ear, although it does cut off slightly too early at the end; “Roller Disco” is rooted in the early 80s with funky, soaring electric guitar riffs, a disco-esque piano melody, and a flute solo that is surprising but not out of place; and “Luna,” nicely captures the feeling of space — the first riff feels like Luna Lovegood, lost in her own head, traveling on a bright violet spaceship to the moon, and the second loop feels like touchdown.

Then, the album ebbs out just as it flowed in. “Route One” and “Snow Cone” are fine enough tracks, but they don’t utilize the same storytelling ability that the middle chunk does. “Exit Sign,” the penultimate and only other vocal tune is even more meandering than “Tinderbox;” Bell sounds like she’s searching for the truth of her sound but hasn’t quite found it yet. Final Track “Au Revoir Mon Amour” is pleasantly calming, but, just like “Without Reason” and “What Are We Waiting For,” it doesn’t stand out in any way.

As opposed to the highly-produced, jam packed instrumental EDM and pop tracks of today, Aquamarine Space Unicorn’s music is sparse, but, overall, Minor AF shows promise. This is definitely not an album made for radio play, but it also doesn’t feel like this duo has reached its full potential yet, and it will be exciting to see where they go from here in both their production skills and in their storytelling abilities. While the flow of the album seems to be tied to that road trip through space — the trip starts with the break-up of “Tinderbox” and moves to alighting down on specific settings like lightly windy meadows (“Gale”), roller discos (“Roller Disco”), and the moon (“Luna”), and then moves, more literally, to coming back to earth and settling into an open-window van on a highway, sun on your cheeks and wind in your hair (“Route One”) — there isn’t a clear reasoning behind the order of these pit stops or why these were the stops chosen. We need to know why these space unicorns are popping into earth, not just what they see when they get there.

But, with its other-worldly aura, this project would be a lovely soundtrack for any RPG game based in space (or involving unicorns?). It’s wonderfully pleasant, inoffensive background music made for being transported to another universe. Faster Than Light: make sure you call up your girls Lily and Joyanna to compose for your next release.