Sarah Arnold was usually one to find herself behind the lens, not in front of it. A professional photographer in the live music and event spaces, Arnold steps out on her own as genre-hopping performer Lil Flower Nasti.

Anchored by her strong voice and bold songwriting, The Blooming feels like a confident declaration of purpose. Despite its less-than-13-minutes run time, it features all the skits and voicemail interludes you’d expect from a classic hip-hop record.

Unlearn The World, a mainstay in the Bay Area music scene, handles production duties — sending The Blooming back and forth between musical universes. Sometimes it inhabits modern and spacious neo-soul, other times it’s the boom-bap buried in crates of vinyl records. A few welcome features by Unlearn the World and JPZ help bolster the project as it unfolds — but it is Arnold’s voice, and her storytelling, that really allow The Blooming to take root.

The Blooming is out now. Listen to it wherever you listen to your music.