During 2009, a handful of bands gained popularity through a form of simultaneously hazy and sunny synth pop — only to be cursed with an extremely dumb buzzword. Everyone knows this, but it’s been really fascinating to see (as we talked about recently) how bands like Neon Indian, Washed Out, and Memory Tapes have reacted to that buzz on their subsequent records. One originator that has been fairly quiet though is Small Black. Since their debut album we’ve heard a mixtape that pointed in some new directions, but now we have the band’s first single from their follow-up to New Chain. “Free At Dawn” is certainly a new direction for the group; they’ve polished away some of the rougher edges to their music to create something smoother, dreamier, and even more romantic. You’ll have to wait a few more months for the entire album, but this is a good sign that Small Black are pushing themselves into a new and bigger sound. Listen below and think about how perfect all this will sound once spring hits in May.

(Via Fader)

Limits Of Desire is out 5/14 via Jagjaguwar