Beck Looks to Dance Floor With Funky New Song, ‘Dreams’

Beck is known for constant creative reinvention, and that trend continues with his new single, “Dreams.” The track, Beck’s first new music since last year’s folk-heavy Morning Phase, finds the musician exploring his falsetto over a soulful dance-rock groove built on a chunky electric guitar and programmed drums. “Dreams” was written by Beck, Greg Kurstin and Andrew Wyatt, with all vocals and instruments performed by Beck and Kurstin. The song was produced by Beck and Kurstin, and mixed by Serban Ghenea.

Last Thursday, the eclectic songwriter posted a snippet of “Dreams” to his Instagram, sparking speculation about the possibility of new music. In an interview with Los Angeles radio station Alt 98.7, Beck confirmed that “Dreams” will be the first track on his upcoming 10th album, Consequence of Sound reports, though he didn’t announce the album title or release date.

The alt-rock veteran will make a guest appearance on “Wide Open,” the closer from the Chemical Brothers’ new LP, Born in the Echoes, out July 17th. In April, Beck performed Lou Reed’s “Satellite of Love” at the late musician’s Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony.

Beck was awarded Album of the Year for Morning Phase at the 2015 Grammys, with Kanye West bum-rushing the stage in a fake-out “Kanye moment.” But the real headline came after the ceremony, when West told a reporter that “Beck needs to respect artistry, and he should have given his award to Beyoncé.” The rapper pseudo-apologized in the following weeks, but Beck took all the drama in stride. “I thought she was going to win,” he said in a post-Grammy interview. “Come on, she’s Beyonce!…You can’t please everybody, man. I still love [West] and think he’s genius. I aspire to do what he does.”