When we last heard Gallant, his airily enchanting single “If It Hurts” played perfect soundtrack to hazy days and late nights, washing a piercing, clear voice in waves of reverb and fuzzy guitars. Perhaps Gallant’s most assured release yet, “Sirens” draws on R&B’s recent fixation on intimate conversations and honest admissions, taking a slightly more abstract approach and matching the singer’s striking falsetto with a shimmering backdrop, a balance of ethereal atmospherics and trap thump. It’s of-the-moment (and, more importantly, of a piece with the rest of Gallant’s catalog) without being derivative—a welcome, worthy addition to one of popular music’s most creatively vibrant genres.
