Exclusive: Listen to Tim Atlas’ Openhearted New Single, “Crime of Passion”
Photo by Dolly Ave
Oakland-born, Los Angeles-based indie-pop artist Tim Atlas releases his latest EP Together Lonely, tomorrow, Nov. 8, but you can hear a new song from the seven-track collection right now, premiering here at Paste: “Crime of Passion,” a slick and synthy serenade that the artist calls “a song of assurance.”
Self-produced and penned by Atlas alongside Grant Averill, “Crime of Passion” fades in with a swirl of stuttering synths, layered vocalizations and propulsive drum machine beat. Atlas adds syrupy vocals, abandoning insecurity as he swears, “Worries melt like chocolate / in my hand for you / And you should know by now / that I don’t do this often / but I know that I can for you,” placing his beloved on a pedestal in irresistibly catchy fashion. The up-and-coming Atlas has been compared to neo-soul acts like Rex Orange County and Toro y Moi—it’s easy to see why.
“This one is a song of assurance,” Atlas tells Paste. “From a relationship standpoint, I’ve thrown away all the doubts and inhibitions that may have existed in the past. This confidence I have in this specific relationship isn’t something I’d normally possess, but a crime of passion is the notion that I’d do whatever it took to be in that person’s life.”