On Café Paradiso, Mykki Blanco trades the persona-driven theatrics of earlier releases for something more interior and exacting. The record draws from his life in transit: dive bars in New York’s East Village, pool and beer in Belleville, Paris, and long hours at Café Hafa in Tangier. The result is a soundtrack for the contemporary, queer flâneur, moving through spaces where being alone does not mean being lonely. Asked which earlier versions of himself appear here, Blanco says: “None.” After Stay Close to Music (2022) and the Postcards from Italia EP (2023), Blanco spent two years at art school in Switzerland, earned his MFA in 2024 and returned to his “first love,” songwriting. The singles show the range of his collaborative approach: “Little Feet” (feat. Ian Isiah and Breakaway), the party anthem “Butt Sex,” the restless “NYC DOGS” and the genre-bending “Easy Does It” (feat. Evanora Unlimited and Simone Alysia). At the center is his longtime creative partnership with producer FaltyDL. “FOXES” (feat. Tama Gucci) is the emotional high point, and “Spread 4 Me” nods to slick, nonchalant Americana pop. For all its energy, Café Paradiso is a record about stillness. “It’s an album about enjoying your own company,” says Blanco, who calls it a festival album. Recorded in New York, it is less a rupture than a refinement: an artist in full command of his present form.