Today, The New Pornographers has shared “Spooky Action,” which is the latest single from their highly anticipated new album, The Former Site Of, that is due out on March 27, through Merge Records. The ditty draws inspiration from the Cassini-Huygens mission, a NASA satellite which orbited Saturn for 13 years before diving into the planet and destroying itself.
Frontperson A.C. Newman sings: “And I see the lone propeller, labor of moonlets, then one last turn… to take in Titan, the famous giant, the burning god // Oh have you seen the stray arc of Daphnis, at Keeler’s edge, the way that it’s meant to be seen?” The upcoming record was first crafted by Newman in his home studio before being brought to the band, composed of Newman, Kathryn Calder, Neko Case, John Collins and Todd Fancey.
The group is joined for the first time by storied session drummer Charley Drayton (Divinyls, The Rolling Stones, Fiona Apple). Josh Wells (Destroyer, Black Mountain) will join as the touring drummer for the band’s upcoming dates in the Spring. “Having time in my studio really opened things up. I don’t like wasting my bandmates’ time, and always felt guilty when I’d give them a song, ask them to do something, then completely change the song and ask them to do it again. Now I can get the skeleton of a song together first—just a couple of elements, the key feeling, really as little as possible—before bringing it to the band and running from there,” said Newman.
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