Given its compact nature, EPs represent a less glib medium for artists to express and/or experiment musical ideas. It offers already known artists a way to consolidate or rejig their image in more efficient terms, and lesser known artists with limited budgets a shrewd method of sating their current fanbase while also widen it.

With more mainstream artists buying into this format, and the increasing visibility of radio’s other side through the internet, EPs of notable quality have come out with the frequency of rainfall in June. As opposed to the relative sparseness of albums this year, we’ve been spoiled for choice while collating this list.

After deliberations and input from members of the editorial team at FilterFree, below are the best 10 EPs of 2018 so far.

[Note: Period in review is between December 15, 2017 and June 15, 2018]

10. Suté Iwar – Leopards

Release Date: Feb. 14, 2018

Sute Iwar is an extremely talented creative – solid at rapping, adept at singing and also great behind the boards. But it seems like his FOMO was robbing the essence of his artistry; following his catalog (some of it scrapped off his SoundCloud) suggests an artist being pulled in different directions, in desperate search for his own voice. His latest EP Leopards seems like a transitional project, a definitive project steeped in the hip-hop genre. Suté is pensive on his raps, coming to grips with who he’s becoming as a person and an artist. In the face of uncertainty, Suté’s measured cadence oozes a confidence that is complimentary to the piano chops/ loops and knocking drums he self-produces. – Tonton

9. Lady Donli – Letters To Her

Release Date: Dec. 22, 2018

After giving us colorful songs to cut a rug to and snap our fingers to (“Ice Cream”, “Poison”) earlier in the year, Lady Donli returned to her icy, navel gazing best with Letters to Her. In her typical diaristic manner, Ms. Donli fumbles with the bittersweet shards of a freshly broken relationship, simultaneously recalling memories and also ruing the ghosts they’ve created. Atmospheric guitars and wafting synths, entirely produced by Garvie, blend into a unique sonic bed of experimental soul for Ms. Donli to mull over. Deliveries switch from unorthodoxly off-kilter (“Tease”) to sonorously warm (“Candy” is the type of song Angels nap to), on a 6-song set that gets even more engrossing with each listen. – Dennis

8. SoulBlackShip – Ecstasy, Just Chill

Release Date: Mar. 22, 2018

If relationships are bound to end up miserably, why even try? WeTalkSound affiliate Soul doesn’t have the answers, but the collection of songs on his EP Ecstasy, Just Chill is quite the representation of this messy cycle. Heavy on wallowing and maudlin, Soul combines the honeyed stage of dotting on crushes and feelings of unrequited love with the vinegar of soured entanglements. It’s all chopped and rolled into a thick, blunted and fully expressive lo-fi haze. Regardless of when you’re listening, Ecstasy sets the mood for when skies are grey and shadows are invisible; a set so intimate that the listener isn’t just in the same room as Soul, there’s a déjà vu effect. – Dennis

7. ØÜ (AYLØ x AYUÜ) – ØÜ

Release Date: Dec. 15, 2017

ØÜ, the duo of AYLØ and AYÜÜ have similar approaches to music: they sort of warp regular genres to create something that when heard still sounds both familiar and brand new. ØÜ is one of those not-too-common instances where a collaborative effort strikes all the right chords. The 3-song EP was produced by 80s Sounds, LarryD, AYLØ and JoceWavy. From ØÜ and Tay Iwar singing about not being loved back on “Careless” to the more assured “Mirrors” and the piano and lover’s rock-driven “Tender”,  ØÜ  will continue to get played for a long time to come. — Notiki Bello

6. Ycee x Bella Alubo – Late Night Vibrations

Release Date: Feb. 1, 2018

Bella Alubo and YCee are both known for being rappers during the early days of their careers. In fact, Alubo was better known as a rapper, than as a singer. But in Late Nights Vibration, the two set out to stamp their singing credentials, not only on digital platforms alone, but for radio airwaves too. Late Night Vibrations leans towards pop and in some occasions, contemporary RnB sounds. Bella and YCee’s singing are both legitimised by LNV, although YCee’s singing has the tendency to be unsettling on a few negligible occasions. By unashamedly borrowing sounds from some recognised hits, Late Night Vibrations manages to recreate the sensations felt while listening to those hits at the time of their release. — Notiki Bello

5. IMTJ – Trap & Poetry

Release Date: Apr. 15, 2018

Trap music has been frequently policed by fanatics of “real hip-hop,” for not placing more emphasis on lyrical mastery, so much so that a tweet riddled by tautology can gain so much traction (it’s “RHYTHM,” people.)

Abuja-based rapper IMTJ sinks his thoroughly filed, lyrical fangs into murky, slappy trap beats on Trap & Poetry. A luminary of the confluence of Travis Scott and Mick Jenkins, IMTJ weaves around with the magnetic flair of the former, his verses densely constructed and filled with quotables in the frame of the latter influence. Front, left and center of Trap & Poetry, IMTJ repeatedly tells us he’s something special, and by showing us his workings, he only confirms it in emphatic terms. – Dennis

4. Yinka Bernie – Façades

Release Date: Apr. 20, 2018

Yinka Bernie is a producer and an artist with his own eclectic approach to making music. He brings all of this expertise on his very short EP, Façades. At 10 minutes, 31 seconds, Façades is spruced off of every possible noise that could have affected the quality of the project.  Bernie allows all of his influences converge on Façades and the result is not a disconcerting one, but one worthy of applause. Façades is heavily reliant on synths and wavy drums, especially on “Again.” The project features Amaarae, Idris King and AYLØ. Façades is a strong EP and it fits both the pure cruise and sway mood. — Notiki Bello

3. Ajebutter22 x BOJ – Make E No Cause Fight

Release Date: May 18, 2018

An Ajebutter22 and BOJ combo is probably the most reliable pairing of this decade, and their long overdue EP Make E No Cause Fight is a delightful middle finger at those who claim that familiarity breeds contempt. A second attempt at redemption, following label woes and a serviceable but slightly disappointing debut album, BOJ struts his fuzzy, baritone vocals with comfort and conviction on MENCF. Ajebutter22, whose improvement has been a joy to listen to via his previous album – one of last year’s best, continues to creatively blur the line between silly and funny, while remaining grounded and relatable. The pre-released “Yawa” remains a treasured gem, but the slow burning “Tungba” and snappy “24” are certified jams in their own right. – Dennis

2. Juls – Ojekoo

Release Date: Dec. 15, 2017

Juls is a master at finding light-hearted pockets of grooves. Drawing inspiration from Highlife music, Juls’ signature sound hinges less on being revivalist and more on refinery. While his fingerprints are deeply embedded all over Afrobeats, and have been parodied in various ways, ubiquity has yet to taint or drown out Juls’ uniqueness. On Ojekoo, an EP coming on the heels of his highly underrated debut project Leap of Faith, Juls continues to set his own standards, splicing choices from House music to Caribbean sounds into Neo-Highlife sonics. Marrying the right guests to the right set of instrumental arrangements – Nonso Amadi’s elegant singing on the fluid “Your Corner,” Burna Boy’s gruffy patois on the meloow but raucous “Gwarn” – Juls provides the perfect sockets to plug his featured guests in. Ojekoo is breezy, fun and superbly helmed. – Tonton

1. Eri Ife x Remy Baggins – YLLW

Release Date: May 18, 2018

Twitter might have being the medium to connect Eri Ife and Remy Baggins, but the universe is rarely ever lazy – this is a match made in music heaven, we’re only witnessing it. The duo brings their refreshing voices, filled with love, passion and respect for and in each other’s craft, and the kind of lines expected from young brewing artists aiming to leave their indelible mark(s) on Nigerian music. The resulting 5-track EP, YLLW , is a testament to their synergy. No track better embodies the humility and focus that keeps both artists poised for success as much as “Bori Pe”, and the peak of their confidence in their abilities is spread all over the final, title track. The project is titled YLLW, but all it really offers is gold. – Tonton