Remember when Perturbator, following the release of his 2017 album New Model, proclaimed that he’d be leaving synthwave behind?

He wasn’t kidding.

“Excess,” surprise-released last night, showcases the synthwave pioneer’s bold new direction. There are still sonic elements here that link “Excess” to his past work, but for the most part Perturbator is pushing forward and he isn’t looking back. The track taps the industrial sonic palette, with plenty of synthy goodness and electronic beats, but the overall vibe is unmistakably post-punk / new wave: it’s got more in common with Sisters of Mercy, Depeche Mode or The Cure than it does with GosT, Dan Terminus or Carpenter Brut. Don’t worry, it’s still plenty dark — that hasn’t gone anywhere — but the shimmery guitars, rumbling bass and shouted vocals give the track an entirely different vibe than we’re used to hearing from him.

If synthwave was borne out of nostalgia for a version of the ’80s that only existed in movies in TV, could Perturbator’s new direction be an exploration of the decade’s darkest music as it happened in real life? It’s an interesting artistic evolution, and it’s certainly executed quite well… although admittedly I’m no expert on post-punk and new wave.

Check it out below. It’ll be on Perturbator’s as-of-yet-untitled fifth album, out later this year via Blood Music.