We last heard from LA-based synth outfit Black Marble back in 2016 with the release of their second LP, It’s Immaterial. Black Marble, aka Chris Stewart, is announcing his third album today on yet another record label. Bigger Than Life is due out in October, and to celebrate, he’s sharing the first single “One Eye Open” along with a video.

This track feels like what might happen if the 1975 and New Order formed a supergroup. It’s expectedly synthy, but the top-line melody has a certain unsettled anxiety about it, mostly due to its ’80s techno-tweak vibe. The accompanying video is a pretty straightforward homage to Los Angeles. Directed by Stewart along with Ben Pier, the montage contains clips of a girl in a veil riding a scooter, swaying palms, and cars on a freeway. Stewart said in a press release that the song, “is about the idea of an artist as sort of sacrificial lamb.” He continued:

We seem to like when our public figures take a fall, which sort of makes sense considering societies long standing desire to publicly flay the fortunate as catharsis, but I’ve always found it ironic that artists/musicians seem to fall into this category as well considering the disparity in income between say, a famous actor and a middling indie musician. Either way, “One Eye Open” is loosely based on the visual metaphor of a high wire artist in a three ring circus who elicits ooh and aahs from the crowd, but after awhile starts to perform with one eye open as they grow restless.

Watch the video for “One Eye Open” below.

TRACKLIST:
01 “Never Tell”
02 “One Eye Open”
03 “Daily Driver”
04 “Feels”
05 “The Usual”
06 “Grey Eyeliner”
07 “Bigger Than Life”
08 “Private Show”
09 “Shoulder”
10 “Hit Show”
11 “Call”

TOUR DATES:
11/02 – Los Angeles, CA @ SUBSTANCE at the Los Angeles Theater
11/07 – Austin, TX @ Levitation at Empire Control Room
11/22 – Brooklyn, NY @ Bowery Ballroom (Record Release Show) w/ Automatic

Bigger Than Life is out 10/25 on Sacred Bones Records. Pre-order it here.