Tycho

As the third single released in anticipation of Scott Hansen’s long-awaited full-length as Tycho, “Coastal Brake” may be the best yet—a sweet slice of dream-beat that glides over the ocean surface like a high-speed waverider. “Coastal Brake”’s vintage synthesizers set the pointillistic scene, blipping and popping around a near-Balearic rhythm like melancholy drops in a river, rising and falling and building to a shimmering climax. It’s not quite dance music—more like Tycho’s soft-focus take on the escapist beauty of house music.

The single’s three remixes do the original ample justice. Danish producer (and Syntaks collaborator) Manual takes “Coastal Brake” at half-time and shoots it full of feedback, bringing a scorched-earth weight to the proceedings, while Hatchback’s “Cosmic Caviar Dub Version” turns down the contrast and places the song in a cave full of drugged-out pianos. Lusine hacks up “Coastal Brake” and repurposes the bits for his own stutter-stepping, downbeat funk. Listen closely, and you’ll hear shards of “Coastal Brake” sparkling in between the beats.