After the success of his acclaimed album Even As She Spoke, She Began To Lose Her Form, and the standout single Hand That Moves You, Harlequiin, the enigmatic musical project of Rory Simmons, returns with the haunting, atmospheric new single I Bet The Dealer Has Deleted Me. This time, Simmons is joined by the wildly talented vocalist NYM, whose smoky, soulful top-line adds a beguiling new dimension to Harlequiin’s already genre-blurring sonic palette.
At once intimate and cinematic, I Bet The Dealer Has Deleted Me showcases everything that makes Harlequiin’s music so compelling: intricate sound design, experimental electronica, and a jazz-rooted musicianship that comes from years on the road with some of the UK’s most celebrated artists. Simmons also a prolific session and touring musician, has performed with the likes of Jamie Cullum, Blur, RAYE, Paolo Nutini, Labrinth, and Dermot Kennedy. From Montreux Jazz Festival to Carnegie Hall and the Hollywood Bowl, his career is a tapestry of musical excellence across genres and continents.
The track itself is a slow-burning, lo-fi masterpiece — layered with analogue synth textures, fluttering beats, and warped live instrumentation. But it’s NYM’s vocal that elevates the track into something deeply human and emotionally resonant. Known for her touring work with Florence and the Machine, Paloma Faith, and Muse, as well as voiceover work for Adidas and presenting on Soho Radio, NYM delivers a performance here that is both haunting and warm, hypnotic yet grounded.
RORY: “We (Harlequinn & NYM) worked on this track about 4 years and always knew it had to see the light of day. We tried pulling it apart in different ways, adding middle 8s, tweaking harmonic moments in it — but overthinking sometimes drowns the spontaneity and authenticity in ideas. We decided to boil it back down to its raw simplicity. First thought-best thought, as they say! This is a track we’re both really proud of — and we wanted it to feel like this trippy little vignette, with that brooding energy.”
NYM: “This song kind of sounds like I’m talking about a relationship between myself and another person but it’s actually about the relationship we have with our own mental health. Sort of like having a chat with yourself about ending your self destructive tendencies. It’s basically an internal monologue.”
This fusion of atmospheric, melancholic depth and sonic experimentation feels like the perfect encapsulation of what Harlequiin stands for — a project that thrives in liminal spaces, experimental electronics, moods, and states of mind. It’s no surprise then
