EMERGING from the shadows and shrouded in mystery, news that Bobby Gillespie’s Primal Scream had covertly recorded a brand new album had fans new and old rejoicing at the prospect of another mind-melding sonic adventure.
With the news breaking back in December through an all too fleeting seven second trailer, the contents of the record remain hotly debated given the band’s unpredictable track record.
With small morsels of information seeping out from their undisclosed fortress, we take a look at what’s been revealed thus far and what it’s lead us to expect from their upcoming record.
Starting with the previously mentioned seven second trailer, its soundtrack provided us what was thought to be a very minuet insight into what we can expect from the album.
A sinister guitar line, pulsating electronic beat and an enthralling bassline, all early signs exhibited that the band could potentially be retreating back to the celebrated sound of the anarchic and enraged XTRMNTR; a record which stands shoulder to shoulder alongside Screamadelica as their most accomplished work to date.
However, it’s became infinitely more plausible that this was actually an intentional ruse from Gillespie and Co. after the revelations encased within the sublime and joyful ‘Where The Light Gets In.’
The first single from their first record in three long years, ‘Where The Light Gets In’ is a colourful slice of electro pop which pairs fizzling electronica with brief flashes of distorted and manipulated guitar. Featuring gorgeous vocal interplay from Gillespie and guest vocalist Sky Ferreira, what’s particularly notable about this track is its optimistic aesthetic; something which has been absent in much of the bands recent output.
Taking a look at their last two albums for example; 2008’s Beautiful Future and 2013′ More Light, these were records which outlined the dystopian society which loomed upon the horizon and were positively despondent about humanity’s fate and our political leaders.
Gillespie and Ferreira’s lyrical musings may be filled with allusions to sordid romances, sins and ‘ecstatic deception’, yet its reference to ‘light’ and their claims that ‘peace begins within’ suggests that not all is as lost as they’d once feared.
Seemingly at odds with More Light’s talk of the ‘River Of Pain’ ‘Culturecide’ and ‘Elimination Blues’, this album could perhaps be Primal Scream’s attempt to provide a joyous soundtrack which is offset against the turbulent world in which we live; just as their magnum opus Screamadelica managed to do all those years ago.
Whilst we’ve yet to be treated to what delights await us upon the album’s release, the record’s tracklisting provides us with a wealth of information which has sent fans into overdrive.
In addition to the collaboration with American starlet Ferreira, the album is also set to feature guest appearances from LA’s guitar pop trio Haim and Rachel Zeffira, an amazing vocalist perhaps best known for her work in Cats Eyes, her collaborative project with Faris Badwan of The Horrors.
The collaboration with Haim is a welcome yet not entirely unexpected announcement, with the two bands maintaining a firm relationship and Haim even joining them on the Pyramid Stage at Glastonbury for renditions of staples such as ‘Rocks’ and ‘Come Together’.
Zeffira is more of a wildcard, with her stunning, operatic voice and penchant for sumptuous baroque pop sure to provide an interesting dynamic to the band’s sound or the equally probable possibility that she’ll be used in an entirely different capacity than once thought.
Whilst the finer details of what shall be contained within the record may be regularly contested until the very day that it emerges, one thing we know for sure is that the release of a new Primal Scream album transcends the limitations of a standard LP and teeters towards that of a seismic event.
With anticipating running high, it’s going to be a long wait until the 18th March.
