Free the Robots, the project of Santa Ana native Chris Alfaro, has shared the first taste of his upcoming third album, The Balance, in the form of “Adore.” Alfaro’s past as a beatmaker and DJ is evident in his crunchy, MPC-heavy production—lilting vocals float over a skipping, sidechained beat that never draws too much attention to any single element. Flutes and organ sounds collide in the dense midrange, before the whole thing abruptly cuts out. It’s a crate digger’s approach to melody for sure, and while this has been seen before in the likes of Bibio or Lapalux, Alfaro brings his own touch to the collage by letting melodies develop in favor of quick chops. The Balance, Alfaro’s first full-length since 2010‘s Control Alt Delete, is planned for a self-release on August 19, but the tracklist and artwork for the SoCal beatmaker’s upcoming LP can be perused before then, after the jump.

01. Ophic (feat. Jessie Jones)
02. Reflect and Reform
03. Visitors
04. Parallaxis
05. Adore
06. Innervision
07. Blindfold
08. The Balance
09. Carnival (feat. Jessie Jones)
10. Last Night
11. 2040 (feat. Jonwayne)
12. The Unexplainable
13. Let Go
14. The Rain

Adore