‘Slinky’ and ‘bouncy’ aren’t words that are normally allowed in the Charlie Lim orbit. Not anymore. With release of his newly minted single ‘Welcome Home’, the Singaporean singer-songwriter and musician stakes a claim on a whole new realm: Dance.

‘Welcome Home’ dips into the more winking and R&B-laden quarters of UK garage for its charm. Lim’s voice is crystalline over the minimal-but-ample spread of voluptuous sworls of bass, percussion and synths. Like all songs with soul, it comes from an inward, pleading place but surfaces with a outward-looking flourish that’s unequivocally emotive.

This new sonic guise is Lim’s first transmission since his critically celebrated 2016 album TIME/SPACE. An official release from Lim’s label Universal Music Singapore states that ‘Welcome Home’ and that some of the songs off his forthcoming project were produced with Melbourne-based producer Yeo. And it seems that the new record will find him mining an introspective vein with renewed purpose.

“A lot of the songs on this new record are about the relationship with pursuing something that you love doing. I often find myself questioning the idea of one’s purpose and where we get our sense of validation from. I think it’s something we can all relate to, especially in this day and age where we're constantly trying to find our ‘ikigai’ while FOMO-ing from lack of self-actualisation”, says Lim about the emotional outlook of the project.

While you wait for the full reveal, listen to ‘Welcome Home’ below.

Besides embarking on his Asia-Pacific tour through Manila, Penang, Tokyo and more, Charlie Lim will also represent Singapore at BIGSOUND 2018, the esteemed Australian music industry showcase crucial to breaking out head-turning Australian talent and at Hear65 @ BIGSOUND, the second Singaporean music showcase in Fortitude Valley, Brisbane, Australia.