It's way too early to decide what the song of the summer is going to be, but Beck's latest needs to be added to the running list. "Wow" takes tropic house's love affair with the pan flute and puts it through the psychedelic ringer. It's everything a feel-good song of the summer should be, with layers of hip-hop influence, ironic YOLO shout-outs, and a blissed-out chorus.
"Wow" is lifted off Beck's forthcoming album—his first since 2014's Grammy Award-winning Morning Phase. Though Kanye West originally believed Beck to be undeserving of the award, this kind of retro-future experimentalism is exactly why he was. It's the antithesis of what's trendy now, which makes it all the more important. According to Beck's press release, he wasn't originally going to release the track, but because it resonated so well with his kids and their friends, he did. Them youths, guys. They've got great taste.
Beck's yet-to-be-titled new album will drop October 21.
