Photo by Chuck Grant

Origins is a recurring new music feature in which an artist charts the influence of their latest hit single.

BØRNS is back after 2015’s popular Dopamine with “Faded Heart”, a new track released through Interscope Records. The song marks the first single to drop off his forthcoming sophomore album due January 2018. While we’re still a few months away, 2017 is shaping up to be even more of a breakthrough for the platinum selling indie pop artist aka Garrett Borns, who hails from coastal Michigan. After selling out his headlining theater tour in 2016 and performing at numerous festivals including Lollapalooza, Coachella, Hangout, Sasquatch, and Bonnaroo, BØRNS has taken his talents to the catwalks of New York and Milan’s fashion week.

The massive run of big-name shows might make it seem easy to latch onto Borns’ massive pop hooks, but he’s so much more than that. “Faded Heart” proves that this artist has a soaring talent for mixing love, poetry, and melody. The song fits comfortably in BØRNS wheelhouse: It’s a vivid poppy tale, an entrancing balance of the glitz and glam of LA (where he wrote his debut album), the restorative mantra of a ‘60s classic coo (“So call me your Romeo”), and the cheeky sass of The Stooges who also always wanted to be your dog (“You got me howling like a dog in the heat”).

The track benefits further from the mix by Tony Maserati — whose previous work with the likes of Lady Gaga, Beyonce, James Brown, and more — capturing just the right sense of glitzy wonder. That said, all the shine still doesn’t make him sound like an insider and rightfully so; if you’re going to write a pop song about your “Heart in the trenches/ Head in the heavens,” fitting somewhere between Perfume Genius and Queen, the music and spirit should back it up just like this.

Take a listen below.

Update – August 16th: BØRNS has shared a video for “Faded Heart”, which you can see below.

Below, BØRNS shares the three songs that influenced him when he wrote “Faded Heart”.

“A Teenager In Love” by Dion And The Belmonts

“Why must I be a teenager in love?” is kind of like asking, “Why does the ’50s chord progression work every damn time?” The answer being: “That’s just the way it is.” So I gave it a shot.

“Search and Destroy” by The Stooges

It’s important to consume a healthy amount of dirt and electric fuzz daily. This song is a solid dose that inspired the guitar tones of Tommy English on “Faded Heart”.

“Girl in the Thunderbolt Suit” by T. Rex

Well if the title “Girl in the Thunderbolt Suit” doesn’t shoot down your spine like it does mine, then the “doo-doops” will definitely slap you silly. This song inspired me to pass along the love taps.

BØRNS will perform “Faded Heart” on the Late Late Show with James Corden on Monday, August 7th at 12:37 AM ET/11:37 PM CT.

BØRNS 2017 Tour Dates:

10/15 – Chicago, IL @ Subterranean

10/17 – Toronto, ON @ Horseshoe

10/20 – New York, NY @ Baby’s All Right

10/21 – Brooklyn, NY @ Rough Trade

10/27 – Los Angeles, CA @ The Viaduct at LA Historic Park

10/28 – Los Angeles, CA @ Moroccan Room

11/03 – San Francisco, CA @ Rickshaw Stop

11/15 – London, UK @ Olso Hackney

11/16 – Amsterdam, NL @ Q Factory

11/18 – Copenhagen, DK @ Ideal Bar

11/19 – Stockholm, SE @ Debasser Strand

11/21 – Berlin, DE @ Prince Charles

11/23 – Brussels, BE @ Botanique

11/24 – Paris, FR @ Le Pop Up du Label