Perhaps this summer’s, if not this year’s, most anticipated new electronic album is The Chemical Brothers’ Born in the Echos, due out July 24. Indeed, fans are salivating for the release, given that this is the EDM icons’ first studio album since 2011’s soundtrack Hanna (2010’s Further being their last non-soundtrack studio LP).
Thankfully, the British duo has been teasing us leading up to the release, with breadcrumbs in the form of the tracks “Sometimes I Feel So Deserted,” “Under Neon Lights,” and “EML Ritual,” which feature Q-Tip, St. Vincent, and All Love, respectively.
Now another morsel has dropped, and the latest sneak peak may be the most intriguing yet: the track “Wide Open,” a collaboration with Grammy-winning folk-rock virtuoso Beck.
While Beck is no stranger to genre-dabbling and experimentation, it’s somehow tough to imagine a Chemical Brothers–Beck partnership. Then you listen to the track, and it all makes sense. With a thumping intro that evolves into a decidedly chillwave vibe and Beck’s melancholy refrain of “I’m wide open. . . . It’s getting away from me,” it’s exactly what you didn’t realize you’d expect.
Listen to “Wide Open” here and the St. Vincent and Q-Tip tracks below.