American techno maven Matthew Dear is getting ready to release his third full-length, Black City, and while the press materials make reference to the album’s “imaginary metropolis peopled by desperate cases, lovelorn souls, and amoral motives,” few people really know what the music actually sounds like. “Soil to Seed” is the first track to be unveiled, and it only offers a limited preview, as the song barely cracks the two-minute mark. Sure, it’s ostensibly techno, but Dear seems to have continued his drift toward organic sounds—the drums and guitars certainly sound real, and his voice sounds like an actual human being. It’s definitely not a rager, but Dear seems to reserve those tendencies for his Audion alias anyways. One might say that “Soil to Seed” is more of a tease than a proper taste, but it’s got us interested enough to give Black City a thorough listen.

05 Soil To Seed