new single proves febueder is a twisted indie genius.

It takes a special kind of artist to craft a song that is rhythmically infectious, vocally captivating and instrumentally disturbing. These three types of sounds do not make for traditionally easy bedfellows, so it’s fascinating that Febueder has been able to make them lie side by side so comfortably on new single Shapeshifter.

The track, which thematically tackles transmogrification as a means of communicating social deviation and transgenderism in equal measure, is undoubtedly one of the most unique songs of 2017 to date. This is primarily down to the band pushing the boundaries of its own songwriting, by taking the preconceived notions of what an indie-pop song should sound like and reshaping them into an amalgamation of funk-pop, experimentalism and indie. It’s very unusual, but unusually captivating and a perfect example of a song traversing the aural uncanny valley.

Yet as vocallist Kieran Godfrey delivers his distinct and expertly controlled vocal, you can’t help but shake an oddly unsettling feeling. This is a feeling that the band has openly toyed with in its music video for the track, using super 8 footage to capture a modern tale of identity discovery. It’s a striking contrast, with the retro stylings and contemporary messages also conjuring a clear parallel with the expectation-defying music itself.

No matter how many layers you choose to consider it on, there is no doubt that Febueder have composed a work of art in Shapeshifter.