I was so excited to learn thatВ Regina SpektorВ has a new album out today. I’ve been a fan for ages, and it’s been three years since her last release.

“What We Saw from the Cheap Seats” has all the signatures of a Regina Spektor album: a mix of upbeat songs and somber ballads featuring Regina’s gorgeous piano playing, quirky sound effects, dramatic lilts, insightful observations about love, and honest, aching vocals.

One of my favorite songs on the album is “Don’t Leave Me (Ne Me Quitte Pas),” which is also the first single. I’d heard an earlier, stripped down version, but I’m enjoying the new, souped up arrangement even more. I love Regina’s colorful descriptions of NYC characters, like the bums around Bowery; aging, old money ladies from the UES; and kids from the Bronx playing outside.

And even though there are references to sledding and the Ghost of Christmas Past, the song sounds so jaunty and joyful that it makes me want to don a summer dress, let my hair down and go skipping along the street. Take a listen here:

(Photo via Regina Spektor’s Facebook page)