Roger K is an independent artist and producer from Melbourne who spent more than fifteen years fronting bands on stage before going solo. His own releases have wandered from melodic house and R&B to Afrobeats, reggae and darker electronic music. "Alter Ego," which came out on October 12, goes back to his first love, the UK garage of the late '90s, Artful Dodger and their records with Craig David. The song began with a workplace conversation about mental health and about how some autistic people mask in public.

The song marries the swagger-meets-melancholy attitude of the classic UKG records with the heart-wrenching vocal delivery that brings to mind the nu-R&B stars like SOHN and Moses Sumney and — at its rawest moments — even the funk greats, especially James Brown. The conversation that sparked the song got Roger thinking about the social armour we all learn to wear, and about the panic of feeling it slip in front of someone who really sees you. The vocals really tear down any mask you can think of... And the song is very short, but because of that it somehow leaves an even deeper impression. It ends way before you're ready, and you hit replay almost on reflex — just to make sure it really happened. Did that storm of raw, disarming emotion, wrapped in such stylish music, really just sweep past you? Or did you imagine the whole thing?

Listen to the song below: