The third in a string of singles released this year by Genuine Fake, ‘Bloodhound Elite’ is perhaps the most evocative of the batch. While ‘All I Got’ was sedated and woozy, and ‘Villian’ was more energised and to-the-point, ‘Bloodhound Elite’ captures Thomas Forward, the mastermind behind the project, toying with some of his most enthrallingly intoxicating sounds of late. As it turns out though, this new cut is the second taste to be pulled from his forthcoming sophomore album Blue Steps, an album written and recorded over the past three years with some songs ten years in the making, and if ‘Bloodhound Elite’ is a fair depiction of what’s to come, we’re in for a gloriously hypnotic ride.

Built around a tangle of chiming guitar arpeggios and softly glowing synths, ‘Bloodhound Elite’ expands into a heady groove, the radiant soundscape taking its time to develop before Thomas steps in with vocals. With Thomas’ expressive croon filtered through an auto-tune-esque sheen, there’s an uncanny push and pull between the organic and mechanical in the track; his fluid, psychedelic tendencies clearly on display while the sophisticated instrumentation whirs behind him. Perhaps this comes down to the track’s extended gestation period - as Thomas explains “it took me about a year to write the track, it was particularly difficult to find a vocal melody” - but the result feels free-flowing and unpredictable, yet equally careful and considered, as it unravels and dissipates.

Speaking about the track’s themes, Thomas shares “lyrically it was pretty stream of consciousness but seems to touch on a lot of animalist 'predator/prey' imagery in the context of capitalism and neo-liberalism and the dog-eat-dog world we live (hence the name)”. In a similar way, the track feels striking but curiously hazy, suggesting exciting things to come from the full-length release next month.