Today, California-based artist Ded Hyatt shares the new single “Chlorine,” a devastating slice of elegantly gnarled avant-pop that recounts the illusory warmth and unpleasant realities of a summer reunion with old friends. Co-produced and co-written with urika’s bedroom and Shamik Ganguly, the track is defiantly anthemic, casting vulnerable reckonings across a landscape of peculiar, futuristic textures — a bold and surreal introduction from a distinctive new voice. Listen to “Chlorine” here.

Opening with the folksy yet synthetic reverberations of sunny guitar picking, the lyrics begin to countenance the harsher facts of the situation as drums provide a mounting pulse. Eerie and elusive guitar ghosts float in and out of the mix as the percussion grows more muscular and Hyatt’s expressive voice — a wavering yet resolute falsetto delivered with a whispered exigency — grows in urgency before resettling on the now-complicated, though still pleasant, opening scene.

Watch the hallucinatory video for “Chlorine,” directed by Ellie Vanderlip, here.

Says Ded Hyatt of “Chlorine:” “‘Chlorine’ reflects the way the world looks when you’ve been swimming for too long. Vision fuzzy from the chemicals, savoring the summer’s amber-colored warmth but also feeling trapped by it. Smoke billows from the BBQ, the sun sparkles on the water, and old friends fumble to show each other love despite no longer speaking the same language.”