It’s over halfway into “Ocean Floor for Everything,” the first tune to surface from How to Dress Well‘s forthcoming sophomore LP, Total Loss, before the beat drops. That moment is preceded by a swirl of soft Rhodes melodies and singer/producer Tom Krell’s evocative falsetto, all of which sounds decidedly more upfront and hi-fi than the beautifully tattered productions on 2010’s Love Remains. But when that smash of a slo-mo hip-hop beat hits, that’s the moment when it feels like How to Dress Well officially arrives as the tender troubadour we’ve been waiting to hear from for years. The loop barely lasts a minute, but could be easily replayed time and time again, at least until Acéphale drops Total Loss this fall.

Ocean Floor for Everything