Pioneering Chicago rapper Valee loves to build entire projects around a singular sound and producer. In 2021, he made The TrAppiEst Elevator Music Ever! with AYOCHILLMANNN, and Gimme Five Im High from that same year was created with CHASETHEMONEY. Virtuoso, which arrived in 2023, was made with Harry Fraud, and VALEEDATION, also from 2023, featured producer MVW. On the five-track Grey Sky London EP from 2024, the Windy City whisper-rapper teams up with groundbreaking New York production crew SURF GANG, allowing various members to tag-team production across the nine-minute project. evilgiane and Niketech cook up a downtempo, IDM-inspired groove on “Why Not”, while Valee employs his signature speedy, hushed flow on the ambient, dazed “Elbow”, which features EERA on the beat. Though SURF GANG members like evilgiane, Ccured, Harrison and Niketech take turns handling production (sometimes co-producing tracks), Valee’s consistent flow and unimpeachable cool give the project a clear consistency.