Opening with a slick combination of heavily textured field recordings and ominous basslines, the first 45 seconds of “Kleine Freiheit” suggest a dreary, minimally melodic tune to follow. But German producer Jan Roth cleverly cuts the gloomy vibe by suddenly dropping out all instruments before a lone triangle hit, letting the tune quickly switch gears to decidedly more optimistic territory. The song’s title translates from German as “little freedom,” which could make for a bleak premise, but the artist decides to take a more lighthearted approach to his production. “Kleine Freiheit” will appear on Roth’s debut record, L.O.W., when it drops on July 26 via Sinnbus.

Kleine Freiheit