We named Ela Minus an Artist To Watch back in 2020, coinciding with the release of her debut album Acts Of Rebellion. The Colombian singer-producer is back today with her first single since then, “Combat.”

Minus has become known for her creativity in the electronic music space, even building her own synthesizers. But “Combat” is the first time she’s worked with acoustic instruments, combining a growing cacophony of New Age-inspired synths with a spacey woodwind quartet. The track is somewhat ambient — save for Minus’ airy vocals — though its lyrics are a bit more intense in comparison. “We are the birds that only know life inside a cage/ And nothing scares us/ They thought we would forget how to fly/ They thought we wouldn’t dare to take a leap…hahaha,” she sings in Spanish.

Minus expanded on the song’s background in a press release:

The foundation of ‘Combat’ comes from a recorded performance I did a few years ago. It was then that I improvised the chord progression that became the soul of the song. Jesse Scheinin did a beautiful performance of the woodwinds I wrote for it. It’s about the intensity of feelings and emotions that it hopefully evokes. You come out the other end of the struggle stronger. I hope the music speaks for itself.

Listen to “Combat” and watch its Losmose-directed video below.