I’ve spent enough time in the City of Big Shoulders to confidently attest that Chicagoans work hard. Sharp Pins proves the this particularly Midwestern truth extends to the musicians in the city. Sharp Pins is the performing guise used by Kai Slater, who is also front and center with the band Lifeguard. Just a couple months after that band released their exceptional full-length debut, Ripped and Torn, here comes Slater with a brand new track.

“(I Wanna) Be Your Girl” is a retro pop-rock number delivered with lo-fi cool. It sounds like a song from the Nuggets era but one without the minimal polish required for inclusion on that landmark compilation. Instead, it’s like a mystery found on a dusty 45 in the back of a vintage shop, with an almost inscrutable label and an untraceable lineage. But then the needle is placed and the sound comes out of the speakers, and it sounds like a bit of musical magic that’s always been in the ether just waiting to be captures by the right fan.

The new album from Sharp Pins, Balloon Balloon Balloon, is scheduled for release in November.