One of the challenges facing the contemporary artist is how to negotiate a balance between an outward facing engagement with the wider world and an inward looking focus on a private inner realm. It’s exactly this tension that gives such energy and depth to in the shade, the stunning second album from Finnish singer/composer Selma Savolainen.

“The title came from a day when I was trying to write in a sun-lit apartment in Paris. I felt like the sun was sort of like checking on me every day. Like are you doing the job? Are you busy? And I felt that I was taking part in a conversation between inside and outside.”

Selma’s powerful voice and her adventurous musicality are the driving forces behind a mesmerizing set of songs that are rooted in contemporary jazz but use a sound-world that ranges far beyond, bringing in influences from the adventurous edges of post-rock and beyond. Selma’s lyrics explore powerful themes of identity, belonging and personal agency, with her clear-toned, expressive voice leading the way, ranging from intimate whisper to searing emotional outpouring.

Each song is brought vividly to life by the extraordinary creativity of her band. Trumpeter Tomi Nikku and multi-reed specialist Max Zenger provide textural backing and melodic improvisation: Toomas Keski-Säntti deploys a range of different keyboards to expand the vocabulary: the bass and drum team of Eero Tikkanen and Okko Saastamoinen expertly control the dynamics. The sense of fellowship between the players - all long-time friends as well as bandmates - adds a feeling of playful spontaneity that lightens the mood even in the music’s darkest moments.