“Specimen Days” was left off City Of Quartz, Islands/Unicorns/Serial dude Nick Thorburn’s latest solo release under his Nick Diamonds alias. But the song is out in the world today just in time for the first of many fall tour dates. Thorburn’s travels will take him coast to coast in the coming weeks; that’s nothing compared to the narrator of “Specimen Days,” who proclaims, “I am from the future/ I have come back to be with you/ I am with you, right beside you now.” The song has a fittingly space-age aesthetic, from the metallic tone of Thorburn’s voice to the wash of robotic synth pulses that push the music forward. The sound isn’t futuristic, exactly, but compare it to the tinny electronic experiments of Thorburn’s Unicorns days and you’ll likely find yourself feeling very far from the past.

Thorburn also played two new songs on the Beginnings podcast, which you can hear here.

Tour dates:

09/04 Tucson, AZ @ The Flycatcher

09/05 Phoenix, AZ @ The Rebel Lounge

09/06 El Paso, TX @ Bowie Feathers

09/08 Austin, TX @ Holy Mountain

09/09 New Orleans, LA @ Gasa Gasa

09/13 Washington, DC @ DC9

09/14 Allston, MA @ Great Scott

09/15 Brooklyn, NY @ Rough Trade

09/16 New York, NY @ Mercury Lounge

09/17 Philadelphia, PA @ The Boot & Saddle

09/18 Hudson, NY @ The Half Moon

09/19 Montreal, QC @ Rialto Hall (POP Montreal)

09/20 Toronto, ON @ The Mod Club Theater

09/22 Detroit, MI @ Majestic Cafe

09/23 Fort Wayne, IN @ The Brass Rail

09/24 Chicago, IL @ Empty Bottle

09/25 Cincinnati, OH @ MidPoint Music Festival

09/26 Champaign, IL @ Mike and Molly’s (Pygmalion Festival)

09/27 Iowa City, IA @ The Blue Moose Tap

09/29 Denver, CO @ Hi Dive

09/30 Salt Lake City, UT @ Kilby Court

10/01 Boise, ID @ The Watercooler

10/02 Seattle, WA @ Barboza

10/03 Portland, OR @ Bunk Bar

10/04 Vancouver, BC @ The Cobalt

10/06 San Francisco, CA @ Rickshaw Stop

10/07 Santa Cruz, CA @ The Crepe Place

10/08 Ventura, CA @ The Garage

10/08-09 Los Angeles, CA @ Culture Collide

10/12 San Diego, CA @ Casbah

City Of Quartz is out now on Manqué.