The singer-songwriter and keyboardist Ruthven’s songs are an antidote for lazy, laid-back pop music. A professional firefighter from South London by day, Ruthven’s music channels the soulful maximalism of Prince and Peter Gabriel, and his tracks pack as much punch as they do dulcet melody. The quickly ascending artist is backed by the enigmatic Paul brothers, Jai and A.K., and his 2017 collaboration with them, “Evil,” proved his work was dense, danceable, and more ambitious than much of what’s churned out in the Top 40 hit mill.

On his latest single, “Hypothalamus,” Ruthven navigates a gauntlet of ominous racket, dodging metallic clangs, claps of thunder, and a saw-toothed guitar solo (played by A.K. Paul) that sounds like it could tear through steel. Ruthven counters these intense textures with beaming pulses of keyboard and his velvet voice. “How can you be so cold?” he sings before unleashing a crazed shriek into the squall of synthesizer and squealing guitar. Ruthven’s question is clearly not directed at the listener, who will feel no shortage of heat on “Hypothalamus."

You can listen to “Hypothalamus” here.