Morning Phase, the project that won Beck Album of the Year at this year’s Grammy Awards, featured gorgeous orchestral arrangements and frequent moments of acoustic introspection. Now, on “Dreams,” the first single off his as-yet-untitled next album, Beck returns with a song that’s everything those songs are not. In a word: It’s danceable.
“Dreams,” which the artist first teased on Twitter last week, is plugged-in and bouncing, colorful down to its surrealist GIF-art. It takes its place among Beck’s poppiest fare, layering falsetto vocals over dance-pop synth hooks. It remains to be seen what direction he’ll take for the rest of the album, but if “Dreams” is any indication, the Morning Phase is over, and Beck is ready for the night.
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Write to Eliza Berman at eliza.berman@time.com