As Face + Heel, the duo of Luke Taylor and Sinead McMillan creates intricate electronic compositions with an acute focus on songcraft. “Dragging Your Chains” has been streaming for some time, but is now being offered for download, most likely to help drum up excitement for the pair’s forthcoming debut on Warm, the No Stars EP. The tune incorporates an assortment of found sounds, empty-bottle percussion, and mournfully detuned synthesizers, all of which provide a lush framework for pitched-down vocals to punctuate their densely constructed aesthetic. The central focus of the track, however, settles on an undulating bassline and its somber piano counterpart, as the two work together to fuse the song’s varied elements together in a smooth display of songwriting and sound design. One could fathom comparisons to The xx and other pop-focused electronic projects of recent memory. With that in mind, keep your eyes peeled for No Stars, which drops on May 7, both digitally and on limited-edition 10″.

Dragging Your Chains