There’s a feeling I get when one of my favorite artists announces a new record after a long time without one. Four years may not be long in the grand scheme of things, but it has been way too long since Mirah’s excellent 2010 LP (a)spera, and I’m absolutely ecstatic about her announcement of Changing Light, her sixth solo album. The first taste of it comes in the form of “Oxen Hope”, a slowburning track resting mostly on a deep, bassy synth progression, a subtly intricate melody, and Mirah’s great-as-ever voice. Of course, this time around, her voice is doubled with some very cool robotic effects, but Mirah finds a way to maintain a human urgency behind the cold mechanical sound. Enter some beautiful strings and the whole thing takes on a melancholic, nearly soulful quality by the end of its four minutes. I don’t know about you, but I can’t wait for this record. Welcome back, Mirah.

Changing Light is out May 13 via Absolute Magnitude.