British singer Jack Garratt is days away from releasing his debut album, but he’s already received star-making praise.
The 24-year-old multi-instrumentalist, whose album Phase drops this Friday, was named the Sound of 2016 in the BBC’s annual poll of music critics and industry tastemakers. Past winners of the poll include Sam Smith, Haim, Ellie Goulding and Adele—maybe you’ve heard of them?
If the poll’s track record doesn’t pique your interest, you can hear what’s gotten the U.K. so excited with your own ears: On his new single “Surprise Yourself,” premiering exclusively at TIME today, Garratt shows off his falsetto over a woozy synth beat before bursting into some euphoric, wordless harmonies.
“I wrote ‘Surprise Yourself’ for a friend of mine who took the wrong train home once,” Garratt tells TIME about the track. “I wanted them to have something uplifting to come home to, something that encouraged and invited to them to be whatever change they wanted to see in themselves and not worry about the journey they’d just had. That was three years ago, and the song has stayed the same since.” Listen below:
More Must-Reads From TIME
- The 100 Most Influential People of 2024
- Coco Gauff Is Playing for Herself Now
- Scenes From Pro-Palestinian Encampments Across U.S. Universities
- 6 Compliments That Land Every Time
- If You're Dating Right Now , You're Brave: Column
- The AI That Could Heal a Divided Internet
- Fallout Is a Brilliant Model for the Future of Video Game Adaptations
- Want Weekly Recs on What to Watch, Read, and More? Sign Up for Worth Your Time
Write to Nolan Feeney at nolan.feeney@time.com