When we last connected with Moore Kismet in February, they were releasing ‘Parallel Heartbreak (feat. Pauline Herr)’, a watershed single that seemed to be defining a new way forward for the still just 17-year-old dance music phenom. Their debut album, the ambitiously titled Universe, is actually due out in June via Thrive Music, and they will be doing a series of live dates between this month and early autumn, from Tampa to Chicago, Denver to El Paso and finally on to Tempe, AZ on September 24 as part of the Jauz Bite This! Block Party Tour.

But in the meantime, today brings the release of the sensual/visceral new track ‘Wasteland,’ featuring the Taylor Swift approved Carlie Hanson on vocals. It’s as sonically widescreen and affecting as anything they’ve ever done; yet what is immediately striking is the raw honesty of the lyrics, with Ms. Hansen confessing philosophically in a somewhat resigned tone:

“Wish I could say what I mean
But I don’t wanna be mean
I know you love me to death
But it’s too early for me
I’m tryin’ to work on myself
I’m tryin’ to feel something else
Can’t put a bird in a cage that doesn’t fly very well”

The accompanying video finds Kismet throwing dramatic shapes against an ethereal desert backdrop, as if performing a ritual catharsis as a way of purging some particularly burdensome emotional baggage. At the end, there’s an almost “ceremonial purification” quality to the burning of old photos and mementos, as they are joined by a quartet of others participating in the bonfire.

Whatever the intention, it feels a lot like the perfect gesture for cleansing away the fear and anxiety of two-plus-years of a COVID crisis that still seems to be dogging us. It also feels like a possible breakout single for the rising queer DJ/producer, who has been decisively challenging the baseball-capped, cisgender male stereotype of the contemporary dance culture.

Expect to hear much more from them in 2022…