The vaguely mysterious Tin Man has surfaced once again to release his newest album, Scared, on U.S. boutique label White Denim. Hailing from California, the land of sun, sand and suburban ennui, but currently based in Vienna, Tin Man turns in a dark, fever-dream of a house tune on the title cut. His trademark sung/spoken vocals quickly bleed out over the dial-tone synth line, wrapping the listener in a valium haze, cold and comforting, while raw cymbals and claps drag listeners down into his despairing realm. It’s not until the final synth swell that Tin Man briefly throws open the doors and windows, allowing sunlight to race in and clear out the musty headspace. The track stays inside you, like a half-remembered dream that bubbles around the shadier corners of your mind. Our thanks to White Denim and Tin Man for generously making “Scared” available for free in advance of his strictly limited, vinyl-only album (available here).

Download: Tin Man, “Scared”

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.