Pearl Jam have released a new single, Dark Matter. The band teased the release – which is also the title track of their upcoming album – on social media this week, first with a video that compiled posts from fans excited about the release, then with a the simple message 'Midnight ET'. More unusually, the band's label Republic Records uploaded a 30-second sample of the song to the band's Wikipedia page.
The release follows the staging of a listening party in late January at the Troubadour Club in Los Angeles, during which frontman Eddie Vedder reportedly told those in attendance that he considered the album to be "our best work." Pearl Jam recorded Dark Matter with Andrew Watt, widely praised for his recent work with Ozzy Osbourne, Iggy Pop and the Rolling Stones.
"When we were in the studio with him this past year, he really kicked our asses, got us focused and playing, song after song," guitarist Mike McCready told Classic Rock late last year. "It took a long time to make Gigaton, but this new one didn’t take long. Andrew was like: 'You guys take forever to make records. Let’s do this, right now.'
"It’s a lot heavier than you’d expect. There’s the melody and energy of the first couple of records. Andrew pushed us to play as hard and melodic and thoughtful as we’ve done in a long time."
The Dark Matter album will be released on April 19, and is available to pre-order from the Pearl Jam's webstore now on CD, black vinyl, red/black vinyl and indies-only clear vinyl. The album will also be released as a deluxe CD/Blu-ray edition with HD audio and Dolby Atmos immersive mix.
