Ultraísta — the electronic outfit of Radiohead producer Nigel Godrich, singer Laura Bettinson and R.E.M./Atoms for Peace drummer Joey Waronker — have returned with a new song, “Tin King.”
The track will appear on the group’s upcoming LP, Sister, which arrives March 13th via Partisan Records and marks the band’s first in eight years.
“Tin King” boasts a frenetic energy, with Waronker’s drumming carrying an ebb and flow of synths as Bettinson’s vocals glide across the top. Her lyrics probe the disorienting high-speed clip of hip city life — “Dialogue and industry/And August in the thirties/David Bowie LPs/I feel abominable/A bomb in a bubble.”
The song arrives with a complementary video in which Bettinson walks through London in a billowing gown, arriving at an underground art gallery and then taking the train home. Her journey is interspersed with jarring, strobe-lit clips of her dancing and singing the song.
Ultraísta formed in 2010 and released their self-titled debut album in 2012. In a statement, the band said Sister grew out of improv sessions that Godrich would pare down to their bare essentials.
“All three of us have so many transferable skills and Ultraísta is an opportunity to do something outside what we’d normally be doing,” Godrich said in a statement. “It’s all of us wearing different hats. For me, when I’m working with another creative force, my point of entry into the music is completely different. With this project, it can take a lot longer because we’re able to be more self-indulgent. It’s a control freak’s dream!”