The Smashing Pumpkins released two new tracks on Sept. 25, “Confessions of a Dopamine Addict” and “Wrath.” The songs were both produced by frontman Billy Corgan and will be on the band’s upcoming double album, Cyr, which is set to be released Nov. 27 via Sumerian Records. 

Both tracks feature founding members Corgan, James Iha, Jimmy Chamberlin and Jeff Schroeder. The band also released episodes one and two of their new five-part animated series, “In Ashes,” along with the new tracks. The series was created by Corgan and animated by Deep Sky. The first two episodes, which are now available on the band’s Youtube channel, are called “As the Crow Flies” and “Inspirations, Aspirations.” 

Corgan said of the series, “The original story is something I’ve written and although it’s (mostly) lighthearted, ‘IN ASHES’ does address many things we face each day. That is… if… we live in dystopia, or paradise, or both. The choice, some say, is yours; and could even be a quantum issue.”

Songs from the upcoming album, Cyr, will be featured throughout the series, which is a fantastical sci-fi adventure. “Confessions of a Dopamine Addict,” is a soft, minimalistic track, mainly featuring Corgan’s signature vocals, a rhythmic synth line and pointed drum fills. 

“Wrath” is a somewhat more upbeat, melodic track that features layered backup vocals behind Corgan’s distinctive voice. It consists of layers of synth melodies and electronic beats over a steady drum and muted bass line. 

The first single from the upcoming album, the title track “Cyr,” was released in August and was the #1 most added song at Alternative Radio the first week of its release. The accompanying music video, which was co-directed by Linda Strawberry and Billy Corgan, amassed 1 million views upon its release. It was filmed in quarantine in Chicago and Los Angeles. “Cyr” is a rock song with elements of pop rock and contains moderate instrumental focus. 

The Smashing Pumpkins also released “The Color of Love” in August, which is more focused on the background drums and guitar.

The upcoming album Cyr was produced by Corgan and recorded in Chicago. It followed the band’s 2018 album, SHINY AND OH SO BRIGHT, VOL. 1 / LP: NO PAST. NO FUTURE. NO SUN. In February, Corgan said Cyr will be the band’s first “real album” since they reunited in 2018, explaining he didn’t consider the previous album to be a true Smashing Pumpkins record because they “didn’t approach it like we’ve approached every other album we’d ever done, which is more like making a movie.” 

The band announced in June that they’d cancelled their 2020 Rock Invasion 2 tour due to the COVID-19 pandemic. They were also supposed to open for Guns N’ Roses during their summer stadium tour, as well as play the Beale Street festival in Memphis and the Shaky Knees festival in Atlanta.

Featured image: Raymond Flotat