Mikky Ekko's reinvention is built on a glorious pop blueprint that works

Ekko has spoken about a need to get back to his roots with the new record. Talking to Paper, he says, "For some people the new album will probably seem like a departure, sonically, but I just see it as making the album I was always meant to make. It's grittier, more DIY, but still accessible--and at the end of the day, I know the new album is more definitive of who I am as an artist."

"Blood on the Surface" continues the quality songwriterly pop sound Ekko made his name with but finds its place through retro nods to emotive, big songs of the '80s and early '90s. Jay Joyce (FIDLAR, Emmylou Harris, Tin Finn, Carrie Underwood) takes executive production duties on the track and record.