We figured our favorite sad sack, El Perro del Mar, was too mopey for surprises but it looks like we were wrong. Turns out Mar, aka Sarah Assbring, is pairing up on her latest recordings with Rasmus Hägg, one half of nu-Balearic outfit Studio. It’s an odd coupling, but one with the potential to be fairly awesome. The fruit of the duo’s work will be displayed on Love is Not Pop, Assbring’s upcoming mini-LP. If that isn’t exciting enough – and we think it is – just wait, there’s more: The new release includes Assbring’s version of Lou Reed’s Heavenly Arms. She writes on her website:

“Lou Reed, I would say, has been the spark and the main influence for me all throughout the work of Love Is Not Pop. In some way I would say his music for me in many ways is the very essence of what this album is about: the dream of a pure love in a dirty world. I have a memory from last summer when I spent some time in New York feeling pretty miserable (Eds. Note: No, really?). Lou Reed came to my rescue with this very song.”

Sure, we tease, but from the sound of things, this promises to be something we really want to hear. Stream the single Change of Heart – a dreamy, lightly funky, AM Golden sort of song – on the El Perro del Mar MySpace page. For more about the upcoming album, visit Pitchfork.