“Clock Keeps Tickin’,” the first taste of Patti Zlaket’s forthcoming album Dance Again, comes from a real rock and roll origin story. Zlaket caught the documentary Immediate Family, and it lit a fire in her. Inspired by the legends on screen, including the one-and-only bassist Lee Sklar, she did what most of us would only dream of—she reached out. And he answered. That gutsy move led to a year-long recording session with Sklar himself and producer Tariqh Akoni, whose resume with artists like Weezer speaks volumes about the rock-solid production this track boasts. When you have a rhythm section anchored by a guy who laid down the low end for Phil Collins, you know you’re in for something weighty.

“Clock Keeps Tickin'” was written by Zlaket’s longtime collaborator Gary Hyde, and this recording is the version the song was always meant to have. It’s the sound of someone staring down the relentless march of time and deciding to run alongside it, not get left in the dust. It’s wrapped around a hook that’s reportedly an instant earworm, the kind that gets lodged in your brain after the first listen and demands a repeat.

Zlaket is no rookie. She’s a seasoned pro—a pianist since age seven, a songwriter since her teens, and a powerhouse vocalist who has toured the States and the UK, all while also graduating from law school. That life experience feeds directly into her music, giving her voice what critics have called an “emotional weight that only time and experience can lend.” On this track, that voice is front and centre, clear, confident, and utterly unmistakable.

“Clock Keeps Tickin'” is a roaring statement of intent from an artist who has lived a lifetime of stories and is ready to rock while she tells them. The clock is indeed ticking, and Patti Zlaket is making every second count. Get ready.