Sleater-Kinney released a new song called “High in the Grass,” from their upcoming album Path of Wellness. After “Worry With You,” it’s the second single from the new record, which is due in full on June 11 via Mom+Pop.

“High in the Grass” starts out with some noisy guitar and pounding drums before mellowing out, riding on a bass groove. It calls back to the choppy intro later for an extended bridge, but the danceable parts and noisier sections all come together in the song’s catchy chorus, “The spring night came alive and we lost our minds/And danced to no music like fools/We cannot hear the chimes when it rings midnight/We can’t imagine what we will lose.” 

A music video for the track pulls from the tune’s psychedelic tinge, matching it with solid-color-tinted people dancing in a field of grass. Marbled patterns are superimposed over them, flashing frame-by-frame through an old on-film animation technique. It was directed and edited by California animator Kelly Sears. There’s some additional choreography involved, especially during the intro and bridge, in order to fit those two darker sections of the recording.

Due to long-time drummer Janet Weiss’ decision to leave the band in 2019 because she no longer felt like a “creative equal” to the rest of the group, Sleater-Kinney is now a duo between founding members Corin Tucker and Carrie Brownstein. They self-produced the new album, recording it in collaboration with various local studio musicians.  

St. Vincent had produced their last album, The Center Won’t Hold, which came out in 2019. That and their 2015 comeback album, No Cities to Love, were the first two albums they released since going on hiatus in 2005. They remain better known for the material they put out during their initial run from 1995-2005, including classic indie-rock albums like Dig Me Out (1997), The Hot Rock (1999) and The Woods (2005).

Sleater-Kinney are set to embark on a co-headlining tour with Wilco in early August, 2021. The bands are bringing along experimental rapper/rock musician NNAMDÏ as an opener as they hit up major cities such as New York, NY, Boston, MA, Philadelphia, PA and Chicago, IL. Tickets are available here.

Photo credit: Owen Ela