Brooklyn-based indie rock Atlas Engine have released their newest track, “Where Have You Gone,” today and I am beyond thrilled to share it with you lot. The track shows the band experimenting with expansive psychedelic production, synth-heavy arrangements, and stunning songwriting—all things that I value in tracks and am happy to see the five-piece experimenting with.

The song starts with frontman Nick LaFalce admitting that “lately I haven’t been myself,” before switching gears and stating, “but you on the other hand just became someone else.”

“’People don’t change, they’re merely revealed,’ I’ve loved that line from Anne Enright’s The Gathering for over 10 years, and I’ve kept it with me ever since.”

Atlas Engine’s Nick LaFalce

Adapting and paraphrasing from Enright’s quote, ‘people don’t change, they’re merely revealed,’ the track explores the exact moment when a lover becomes a different person in front of your eyes. It’s not an easy thing to experience and even harder to come to terms with—seeing someone perhaps for the first time.

Instrumentally reminiscent of Wild Nothing or Tame Impala, Atlas Engine also channels those band’s core lyricism—proving that they can write a catchy tune that crafts a narrative at the same time. In “Where Have You Gone” we are seeing a new level of longing and vulnerability from Atlas Engine, which is something that I look forward to seeing from them in the future.

Collaborating with Nicolas Vernhes (Wild Nothing, The War on Drugs, Animal Collective) for the first time, band member/engineer Jeff Fettig (Marian Hill, Uni Ika Ai), Joe Lambert (The National, Local Natives), and LaFalce have done right by themselves and their fans by finding the right team to bring this track to life. Listen to it below.

The Brooklyn five-piece will celebrate the single’s release with a string of performances at their first ever South by Southwest appearance in March. Deets on their Facebook page.