A few years ago, Matthew Dear and Tegan And Sara teamed up for a cover of Tears For Fears’ “Pale Shelter,” and today the American producer and Canadian twins have released another collaboration. This one’s an original Dear track — his second this summer following “Modafinil Blues” — and it’s a sleek synth-pop song that’s in line with Tegan And Sara’s more recent output. Sara Quin and Dear both had something to say about how the song came together:

“I heard the piece of music Matthew sent through while driving to get a haircut in West Hollywood. I always feel like an interloper on that side of town and the phrase ‘freaking out and paralyzed’ was suddenly looping in my head. I couldn’t stop thinking about how finding someone who loves the more complicated parts of you is a relief, especially when they’re not turned off by your socially awkward insecurities or tendencies to retreat inward. Matthew’s music has always been my go-to for late night bus rides in headphones and I still geek out that we made this together!” – Sara Quin

“I have been a fan of Tegan and Sara since first hearing ‘Walking With A Ghost’. My interest was greater piqued with their album Heartthrob. I sent a message that I loved it to find out they were fans of mine. This led to a remix and a collaboration on a Tears For Fears cover in 2013. The connection was made, and we discussed future collaborations. When working on new songs I had them in mind. I had a loop for ‘Bad Ones’ and thought they’d be great on it. Tegan and Sara eagerly accepted the challenge to write more, so I sent it over. Practically overnight, they returned with the verse and the chorus, written from scratch over my loop. I spent the next month working on it, turning a demo into a full-fledged song. Working with Tegan and Sara reminds me the best songs are born from an open and free process. Often times, we need to get out of our own way to let the magic happen, and this song is a bold reminder of that.” – Matthew Dear

Listen below.

“Bad Ones” is out now via Ghostly International.