It’s not exactly clear what The 9s’ vocalist Jason Birnstihl sings about, but you picture him on a stage in a dark lounge.

Smoking is permitted, but the smell doesn’t linger and there are no burn holes in the lush carpet. The bartender has perfected his Manhattans and shaded figures conspire closely in far corners. The drapes are deep red. The barstools and booths the same.

“Wreck That Body” is the first release off the Omaha quartet’s forthcoming Gentleman Caller EP, their first release since 2010’s “I’m The Only Rock Star You Know” single.

The sense of red is in Jason Birnstihl’s voice, channeling late-career Justin Timberlake in a sensual falsetto, cloaked warmly in thick layers of muted funk guitar and honey-soaked keyboards. It’s in the song’s structure, the song’s attitude; it’s almost instinctively sensual R&B.

But “Wreck That Body” isn’t some exercise in recreating The 20/20 Experience’s atmosphere, although it does manage that fairly well.

The 9s are less concerned with the exact vocal heights Birnstihl can reach and more interested in the dark corners of “Wreck That Body,” and how those corners work together to make the whole space. Briefly shimmering guitars shine a quick light on ornate crown molding. Certain keyboard riffs are content to quickly appear and disappear, to make their possibility known, then bow out for the greater arc.

Officially released on July 22, Gentleman Caller will be available at the EP release show Friday at The Hive in Omaha. The record was produced by BZZZ (Sean Beste and James Fleege) at Silver Street Sound in Ashland, and will be released by Silver Street Records. Listen to the premiere of “Wreck That Body” here.