“Brooklyn,” the new single from U.K. singer-songwriter Katie Malco, starts out slow and relatively spare. Against her prowling guitar and a steady, stealthy drum beat, Malco start sharing memories of time spent with a friend, against the many backdrops of New York City. The details are simple, but highly evocative: “You took Polaroids/ Of a man proposing/ Everyone was applauding.” It feels less like musical storytelling and more like the uncanny magic of emotional transference, Malco unleashing the resounding affection for another held in her innermost being. The song builds and builds and builds, until it seems as big as the metropolitan area that gives the track its name. The song is the size of the feeling that inspires it, as it should be.

Malco’s debut album, Failures, is scheduled for release on June 5, 2020.