Soft Machine return with Thirteen, the band’s thirteenth studio album and a bold statement of intent that looks forward rather than back. While the line-up has evolved many times since the late 1960s, the group’s defining qualities remain intact: musical curiosity, stylistic freedom and a refusal to be pinned down. Moving fluidly between progressive jazz-rock, atmospheric psychedelia, free improvisation and ambient textures, Thirteen is expansive in scope yet sharply focused in execution. Long-standing guitarist John Etheridge, now more than five decades into his tenure, is in commanding form throughout. All four members contribute compositions, with saxophonist, flautist and keyboard player Theo Travis providing the core of the album, writing six of its thirteen pieces. Drummer and composer Asaf Sirkis makes his first appearance with the group, adding fresh momentum and rhythmic detail. Elsewhere, bassist Fred Thelonious Baker contributes a piece bristling with grit and energy, while a special cameo from founding member Daevid Allen — built around a previously recorded guitar part — offers a subtle nod to the band’s deep history. Adventurous, confident and unrestrained, Thirteen finds Soft Machine sounding as exploratory as ever.