Rusty Santos has been an in-demand producer at least as far back as the mid-’00s, when he abetted Animal Collective on their freak-folk opus Sung Tongs as well as helping to shape Panda Bear’s breakout solo record Person Pitch. More recently he’s linked up with San Diego–based electronic artist Jackie Mendoza on the solo project she’s been honing since 2018, most recently sitting behind the boards on her debut full-length Galaxia de Emociones released earlier this year.
That collaboration continues today with a new single preceding Santos’ newly announced solo record New Wave in California, which is set to be released on July 14—nearly a year removed from his last album, 2022’s High Reality. “Halo Dive” takes a minimal, atmospheric instrumental and sets it to lyrics about a sudden loss of gravitational pull. “This song is about a recurring daydream where I envision myself in the stratosphere above the room I’m sitting in,” Santos shares. “I would then dive back to my current location wearing a parachute and an oxygen mask. Jackie jumped on the tune and completed it with her own interpretation of the lyrics.”
In spite of a slightly different interpretation, both artists sound perfectly in-tune trading verses and harmonizing over a blog-era beat. “When I first heard the instrumentation it took me back to 2012 listening to Cashmere Cat, TNGHT, Purity Ring, etc,” Mendoza notes. “It was an exciting time where I started producing electronic music and was influenced by this sound at the time. Rusty and I have been collaborating on my music since 2018, so it was cool to sing on one of his songs and exchange our talents in a different way.”
Check out a video for the track below, and expect New Wave in California—which will also see features from Panda Bear, Bedroom, and Psychic Twin—this summer.
