Photo by Jesse McFadden
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Brooklyn-based artist Sean McVerry is releasing his new Private Lives EP on Friday. But before it officially arrives, he's giving Variance an advanced listen.

"I knew I wanted to make a dance record. I knew I wanted to incorporate these old synths and drum machines I found on Craigslist," he says of the shimmering seven-track project, which includes previously released tracks "So Certain" and "Red Light."

"I had these floating concepts of what I wanted to talk about. I just had to build a world I could live in with these instruments to get all the ideas out. I pictured Private Lives as the soundtrack to a high school dance (given the sonic palette of it, I guess that dance would probably be taking place around 1987 or so)."

There's definitely an '80s dance element to it, but it's also very distinctly modern, perfectly showcasing his crisp, poppy vocals over instrumentation he just happened to co-produce alongside J. Cole collaborator Elite.

Private Lives was largely conceived while McVerry was on the road touring with Norwegian singer-songwriter AURORA. It was recorded in Utica, New York, and Greenpoint, Brooklyn, in addition to the singer's own bedroom studio.

Hear the full EP below.