Marcus Marr and Chet Faker didn’t waste any time following up last month’s collaborative funk-fest ‘The Trouble With Us’, but even if they had it would’ve been totally worth the wait. ‘Birthday Card’ starts with an urgent house beat, an old-school wonky bass line snaking underneath it, and Chet Faker’s dreamy, dozy vocals lazing their way down from above. If you didn’t know who it was, you’d be forgiven for thinking you’d stumbled across a secret Foals track. ‘Birthday Card’ builds with echoing, atmospheric synths and shimmering, wavy electric guitars, before deconstructing itself, peeling layers away, down to that first original house beat, left alone for the outro. It’s dropped just in time for Christmas party season, and for that we are truly thankful. -EF