Silversun Pickups' brand-new single "Bloody Mary (Nerve Endings)," which premiered yesterday, is out on iTunes today. A cocktail of modern and retro sound, it's a signifier that the best 90's band not from the 90's is ready to take on 2012.
The first single off their upcoming third album Neck of the Woods, "Bloody Mary" showcases what a few years ago saved the band of 30-somethings from life in a garage: transcendent melodies, mature musicianship, and a grunge aesthetic that pulls the heartstrings of everyone who used to almost-kill themselves speeding and blasting "1979" by the Pumpkins out their car windows.
SSPU, from their official site, during promo for 2009's Swoon.
What differentiates the song from their previous hits, such as "Lazy Eye" and "Substitution," is the evidence of a very Noughties-style dream-pop influence. The emotional and technical rawness of much of their earlier work has been slicked back somewhat with a pristine production, courtesy of Grammy-winning producer Jacknife Lee.
However, considering singer Brian Aubert told SPIN a few weeks ago that Neck of the Woods sounds like "a horror movie," "Bloody Mary" may turn out to be the offering's poppiest, cleanest track. Here's hoping...
You can pre-order a limited edition of the new album, officially out on May 8.
You can also try to catch Silversun Pickups at the 2012 Sasquatch! Festival, May 25 to 28, where they'll join the likes of Jack White, Beck and Bon Iver.
