Fans will have to wait until quarter one of next year to hear Sia's new album This Is Acting, but she did give eager listeners a taste with a new single titled "Bird Set Free."
The album is set to be released on Jan. 29, 2016, via RCA Records, as the follow-up to her massively popular 2014 album 1000 Forms of Fear.
"Bird Set Free" is the Australian artist's second single from the album following the similar pop tune "Alive," which was a rejected song intended for Adele's forthcoming album 25 that Sia co-wrote with pianist Tobias Jesso Jr. Interestingly enough, This Is Acting is filled with songs she wrote for other artists that ended up on the chopping block for one reason or another.
The song features some simple piano supported by a building percussive section that leads into a chorus featuring her signature belt. Fans will find the "Bird Set Free" comfortingly familiar as Sia builds on her sound while keeping it grounded in the style listeners have come to expect. Sia seems to be experimenting with different rhythms in the delivery of her lyrics and there's more layering in the vocal parts as the song closes with a chorus of voices singing on various melding lines.
Last night, Sia also released her album artwork via Facebook. The cover features a contorted face making fish lips, framed by hands adorned with colorful scribbles. The now-iconic Sia wig is in place, this time split down the middle—half blond and half black.
Pre-orders for the album start Nov. 4 at midnight and come with instant downloads of the two released singles.
