Many of the singles from Sinkane’s 2012 LP Mars — “Runnin’” and “Jeeper Creeper,” for instance — were aggressive rhythm bombs, and even the relatively chilled-out “Warm Spell” was sprawling celestial Afrobeat. But Ahmed Gallab has been a lot of amazing places and interacted with a lot of great musicians since then, and his sound has always been subject to constant morphing anyway. So although “Hold Tight” sounds like nothing Sinkane has ever released before, the evolution was almost a foregone conclusion. Is this sweltering bit of Sade-damaged soul the natural byproduct of hanging out with Usher and David Byrne? Maybe? Gallab’s taste for under-recognized international musicians is well-documented, though, as is his aim to conjure truly universal music. So it’s only natural that the rest of his forthcoming Mean Love refracts all sorts of ideas through this latest headspace. For now, listen to “Hold Tight,” yet another example of one of today’s most distinctive artists keeping us on our toes.

Mean Love is out 9/1 on City Slang in Europe and 9/2 on DFA in North America. Sinkane will be on tour all over both continents this fall:

8/2 Queens, NY @ The LOT LIC
9/4 Berlin, DE @ First We Take Berlin Festival
9/5 Vienna, AT @ Grelle Forelle
9/6 Heer-Sur-Meuse, BE @ Deep Into The Woods Festival
9/7 Vlieland, NL @ Into the Great Wide Open
9/9 Utrecht, NL @ Tivoli
9/10 Paris, FR @ La Badadoum
9/11 London, UK @ Shacklewell Arms
9/12 Lille, FR @ La Peniche
9/13 Gent, BE @ Big Next Festival
9/16 Nantes, FR @ Scorpitone Festival
9/18 St. Gallen, CH @ Palace
9/20 Hamburg, DE @ Reeperbahn Festival
10/1 Montreal, QC @ Casa del Popolo *
10/2 South Burlington, VT @ Higher Ground Showcase Lounge *
10/3 Boylston, MA @ Cafe 939 *
10/4 Northampton, MA @ Iron Horse *
10/5 Brooklyn, NY @ Baby’s All Right *
10/7 Philadelphia, PA @ Johnny Brenda’s *
10/8 Washington, DC @ DC9 *
10/9 Charlottesville, NC @ The Southern *
10/11 Louisville, KY @ Zanzabar *
10/12 Chicago, IL @ Schubas Tavern *
10/13 Saint Paul, MN @ Turf Club *
10/17 Seattle, WA @ Barboza *
10/18 Portland, OR @ Mississippi Studios *
10/19 San Francisco, CA @ The Independent *
10/21 Los Angeles, CA @ Echo *
10/22 San Diego, CA @ Casbah *
10/23 Phoenix, AZ @ Last Exit Live *
10/24 Tucson, AZ @ Club Congress *
10/26 Austin, TX @ Empire Control Room *
10/27 New Orleans, LA @ One Eyed Jacks *
10/28 Birmingham, AL @ Bottletree *
10/29 Nashville, TN @ Exit In *
10/30 Columbus, OH @ Wexner Center *
11/1 Pittsburgh, PA @ Smiling Moose *
11/2 New York, NY @ SOB’s
* with Helado Negro