My unscientific research shows that Wild Nothing have never once been described as "funky," and my scientific research of their two wonderful LPs and the solid Golden Haze EP shows that none of Jack Tatum's songs have mentioned dancing. So, even more than the slap bracelet, "A Dancing Shell" feels like the biggest surprise included in the upcoming Empty Estate EP (out May 14 via Captured Tracks/Bella Union).

Tatum's artistic transparency has always been a strength, and judging from his baritone-sung promises to be your plaything over a comfortably paced disco strut, I'd say he's working through his "Bowie phase." And yet, "A Dancing Shell" is a prototypical Wild Nothing song in that its obvious influences subtly fade into something Tatum's own, as disorienting synth pinwheels and a dreamy chorus hook brings us right back into his soft-focus, romantic vision.