As Porches, New York’s Aaron Maine typically writes from the perspective of a sordid loner. Right on cue, the hook from “Be Apart,” off his upcoming LP, Pool, goes, “I want to be apart of it all.” It’s very much in character, and it subdues any speculation that his Domino debut might be a star-making endeavor. Thematically, “Be Apart” seems to contradict its form—a synth-pop song mixed by Chris Coady (Tobias Jesso Jr., Beach House, Future Islands) in L.A.—but it’s still 2-D, nearly monophonic. This is a mockup of dance music made on Mario Paint for people whose dance moves have as much rhythm and range of motion as those of Toad.

Context matters, though, and “Be Apart” is an unusually upbeat, innocent song for Porches. When he sings the hook, it comes across as: “I want to be a part of it all,” echoing the city’s definitive paean to personal reinvention. (Not surprisingly, it was inspired by Maine’s move to the big city after growing up nearby in Westchester.) But Maine’s handsome, hungover tenor and the deflated synth tones express that success is not a foregone conclusion. “Be Apart” appears less about the ecstasy of the dancefloor than a more particular kind of excitement—one that comes with embracing the fear of the first step towards it.