Chromatics have been teasing Dear Tommy since 2014, so its alleged 2018 release is well overdue. According to the band’s Johnny Jewel, the album will come out this fall “unless I change my mind again.” Mind you, this is coming from the man who destroyed every copy of the album’s initial recordings. Last month they shared “Black Walls” from Dear Tommy. And to further tide us over, the synth-pop outfit have just surprise-released a vinyl-only EP called Camera.

The press release gives a taste of the EP:

The opening track is a love song written from the perspective of the camera, asking to be held up to see the world through the eyes of its user. Chromatics’ dense electronics are anchored by the intimacy of Ruth Radelet’s vocals. Framed by negative space, this is pop music from the blurry hours. She softly sings, “I write a song in my head, pretend that I’m lying in your arms.” The music is minimal & bare, layered with sparse percussion.

Judging by those lyrics, this is a different “Camera” than the Chromatics song included on the After Dark 2 compilation. Camera includes other unreleased material, like a haunting interpretation of Dear Tommy’s title track. See the tracklist below.

TRACKLIST:
01 “Camera”
02 “Camera (Vocal)”
03 “Camera (Instrumental)”
04 “Magazine (Club Mix)”
05 “The Taste Of Blood”
06 “Flashback To Forever”
07 “Dear Tommy (On Film)”
08 “Magazine (Club Instrumental)”

Camera is out now via Italians Do It Better. The EP is not currently available to stream. Order the vinyl here.