Since his 2016 debut single, “Mornings,” Tim Lyre has tended to a very dynamic fusion of soul, R&B, and Afrobeats. As an artist, producer, and songwriter, he is a part of Nigeria’s crop of indie artists who thrive outside the fleeting gaze of trends and faithfully mirror personal and collective consciousness in their music. On his third studio project, SPIRAL, Lyre furthers his commitment to building kaleidoscopic sonic universes. SPIRAL is anchored by its unwillingness to be boxed. As its title befits, it is a continuous loop of unfiltered emotions strung together by boom-bap rap, highlife, jazz, and Afrobeats. The 16-track project is an honest account of Lyre’s journey towards self-exploration, split into two halves: melancholy and joy. Like its vibrant predecessors, the album doesn’t shy away from leaning into the flair of Lyre’s many longtime collaborators. On opener “Miles,” Moelogo lends his usual didactic lines on its chorus. Meanwhile, we find Lyre in a far from subtle spell of self-exultation. “I’m proud and very pompous/Like a dragon on the mic, e dey shock me,” he sings. On the synthy and soft “Losing My Mind,” Binta sets the tone with her syrupy vocals which mesh fluidly with Lyre’s. And while he muses over the realities of life in Lagos, the duo of Show Dem Camp take turns assisting with each of their distinct tones on the highlife-infused “Economy.”