Variance favorite Ryan Egan is back with new music. On Wednesday, he released his swanky new single called "Cruel Times," which he wrote and produced with the help of collaborator Max Harwood, who's previously worked with Lewis Del Mar.

The new track is moody, velvety smooth yet melancholic, with elements of hip-hop and jazz weaving in and out as Egan's vocals are at times enamoring and haunting, especially highlighted by a monotone spoken verse. There's a vibe that invokes Kanye West's My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy, perhaps specifically the eeriness of "Blame Game."

"The song is a testament to the era at which we are living through," says Egan, who is based in Paris and New York City. "One of impending societal and environmental catastrophe while political leaders in the U.S. and abroad tout overt bigotry and place corporate interests and pseudoscience above citizens. Everyday we are asking ourselves, 'What the fuck is happening and what can we possibly do to change course?'"

Hear "Cruel Times" below.