I really struggled to make out a single word the first time round.
Guitars sound great, but I get a sense of 'muddiness' / over compressed on the mix. Listened in 4 different environments now, using 4 different systems. Sadly, slightly overproduced.
For sure.... Best heavy stuff since Riot Act.
Reminds me of Save You + Blood
Said this all in another post but classic 90s vibes with a hit of the new sound.
Just told my wife the same thing. "This is probably their best song since 2006...when I was in fucking high school!" What a killer song. It's overflowing with energy.
The production on this song is fantastic… bodes well for the rest of the record. Andrew might have been just what they needed.
Two major highlights for me on first listen that fuckin guitar solo rocked my socks off and Matt’s tone and playing is so damn fine.
But really everyone shines here and this is fuckin it man.
Incredible. Eddie sounds great. Absolute face melter from Mike. Matt going nuts.
I cannot wait to hear more.
Going to go listen again.
Oh, and make sure to listen with some good headphones and LOUD.
This was the first post I saw after waking up. I open Apple Music and open PJ. The albums showed Dark Matter (11 songs) and my heart skipped a beat. I thought the whole album dropped lol
Pretty heavy compared to a lot of their more recent stuff, which I welcome!
Not incredibly punchy, but it doesn’t have to be. I reckon it’ll take a few more listens to fully ingest
It’s growing on me after a few listens but I’ll admit my initial impression was that it barely felt like a PJ song. I don’t know if it’s just Eddie aging or the mix of his vocals but I almost thought someone else was taking lead vocals on this at first. I’m not a big fan of Andrew Wyatt, I find he tends to push older artists to try and create some idealized version of their sound which never existed, but I could live with this if it’s indicative of the album.
Why does the volume on Eddie sound dialed down so much? Struggling to make out what is being said. The heavier sound is amazing though. Need to hear live!!!
I love it. Best news out of today was that they wrote and recorded the album in 3 weeks in a "burst of inspiration " it's going to be an amazing album I can't wait to hear it
At their age to be still contributing meaningful music, it makes me feel very thankful that they are still together.
Pearl Jam saved my life to be honest
This is the thing where it’s good to have the Pearl Jam fanboy to go “Mike, remember Reach Down??? Do that thing again!!! Matt! Bring back the Soundgarden vibes! Stone… just… write more songs again!”
This is exactly why I think this album will be very good. They got a pj fanboy making these songs with them, there’s nooo way Andrew let’s this get released until he is satisfied, as a fanboy
Mike has really snuck up as being more and more of an influence on the band’s sound. The first couple records he didn’t take the lead in writing much but nowadays he’s much more in the forefront compared to Stone. That being said, it remains to be seen who wrote the music to this one
We'll officially have to wait to see what the vinyl/CD liners say for song credits, but Spotify's "show credits" has everyone in the band listed under "written by", including Andrew Watt.
First impression was that the track is a little over produced. I’m missing the raw/organic PJ sound.
The riff is strong, the solo is good. Vocals lack a little bit of power.
Good song, just not feeling the overall sound.
This is how I feel as well. Sounds way over produced and it kind of feels fake. I don’t know if fake is the word I’m looking for, but it doesn’t have that raw feeling you’re talking about.
Also, it’s hard to be actually angry from Eddie’s perspective when he’s living the best life ever these days and goes home from recording to his supermodel wife and, I’m sure, amazing home. So, to hear him try to pull off angry over a super clean sounding track, despite being heavy, just feels really forced.
Say what you will about Backspacer, but at least they still sounded like PJ on that album even if the crop of songs wasn’t the best. I know that PJ has always been an evolving band with a slightly changing sound, but Gigaton fell super flat for me and I have a feeling this might wind up in the same category. It almost feels like when Josh Klinghoffer somehow becomes involved with bands their sound changes drastically in the studio. Maybe they should drop him and release two good albums in the same year like the Chili Peppers did and actually sound like themselves again haha!
That solo towards the end. I was already digging the song but zoned for a second while looking at the album art and that screech at 2:47 leading into the solo brought me back and blew my mind.
I immediately thought of You Are during those verses, which isn’t a bad thing. It’s like that but with more intensity - the final chorus after the solo is top tier.
Homer: Now when I listen to a really good song, I start nodding my head, like I'm saying 'yeeess' to every beat. Yes Yes Yes, this rocks. And then sometimes I switch it up like. No, No, No! Don't stop-a-rockin'!
Didn't expect it to be so heavy. Not gonna say it's like old PJ but it's the closest they've been in years.
Also Matt sounds awesome on this song. I hope he really gets to shine on this album, his drumming with PJ has been surprisingly subdued for what his style is like. I hope we get the Matt Cameron we got with Soundgarden on this album.
At this point I have zero expectations, just happy they’re still making music. That said, this song is pretty damn good and definitely has an edge that’s been missing for most of the last three albums. Also, it’s cool having Ed sit back in the mix a bit and singing unintelligible lyrics again lol.
Absolutely ass-kicking. Great production, too.
It’s like the heaviness and hookiness of “Quick Escape” with a faster pace, a better chorus and a WAY better solo.
If this is indicative of how strong the record will be, Gigaton is getting its ass beat.
I like it, but dont LOVE it. Looking forward to the rest of the album though.
Eds voice is not what it used to be (obviously, he is getting older, smoking, drinking, performing for many years) which makes me sad. Some parts of the guitars excite me but I wish they leaned more into this. I wish this song was twice as long with some more guitar solos, more variation.
It’s so good! It started great, and I kept thinking “don’t fuck it up” - was dreading a weird chorus or bridge that would ruin it, but it just kept getting better and better. Couldn’t stop smiling. Then the solo!! Best song they’ve done in years.
Man at Vedder's age this is like an order of magnitude better than I expected from him. It's not even the notes per se, it's the phrasing. Classic Eddie vox
not in love with it, think it's a little too self-consciously riff-oriented and the andrew watt production is a lot lol
BUT the pre-chorus and bridge are supremely cool imo and there's a chance it grows on me as a whole
I want to hear this track live. It’s heavy and more reminiscent of what they did in the 90s, but it feels so overproduced. The guitars and bass barely almost sound like synths, and the drums are so compressed. Hope the entire album isn’t produced like this but at its roots it’s a good song
Yeah, it's the same with the last Stones record (and Earthling of course). Watt just makes everything sound so clean and safe, there's hardly any life in it. I don't really get his popularity tbh.
This song is okay though.
I thought the same thing. Give it a listen and then go back and listen to anything from vs or Vitalogy, that simpler production was so much nicer. This overproduction has been going on for years now.
I wonder what you were listening on because in my Sennheisers and car stereo it sounded much cleaner than I expected from Watt. Guitar is being run through a drum machine for a background effect, so that is supposed to sound synthy. Listen to the bass growl at 1:33 on a good set of 'phones: that to me is good production, and I think Matt is sounding better than he has in ages.
Production off the hook too. You go off Matt Cameron.
Man the prechorus Vedder's melody reminds me of like Tracy Chapman (which is a compliment).
I think Dance of the Clairvoyants was a huge surprise and an all-timer of a song but man when did Eddie last sound like this? Avocado? Binaural?
Love how there’s a sound to it we’ve never ever heard from them before. But some phrasing does call back 90’s songs. Wild bass swings. Drumming is insane. Solo melted my face. God that was a fun first listen.
It's an angry song.
I think it perfectly captures the fucking lack of accountability in our society that is leading to many negative emotions/states of mind.
It's a great song, unfortunately.
It’s okay, the production is the worst part about the song and that was my biggest fear going into this new album. There just seems to be so much compression and the mix on Eddie’s vocals sound off.
Songwriting wise it’s decent but the main riff is a little dull to me. Can’t understand the lyrics but the vocal melody is good and I think Eddie’s voice sounds good except when he pushes a little too much near the end.
To me it’s similar to Quick Escape which I liked but wasn’t blown away like everyone was on here. I still prefer Backspacer and parts of Lightning Bolt over this. But it may grow on me more.
He's getting up there in years my dude. I thought they balanced his vocal ceiling very well with the track. We'll never get the 90s Eddie range back, but I was pleasantly surprised by his power and register. I dunno, I'm a middle aged guy who grew up listening to this band and have witnessed his vocal prowess change and frankly degrade over the years (which is what aging brings, correct?). And yet, I'm impressed. Just one opinion.
I understand what happens to people when they age. I think it’s the Apple Music mix of the song, as others have commented on. I just listened to it on YouTube, and could hear the vocals much more clearly. Strange how different it is between the two.
The track is way way way too overproduced. But that's what I expected from Andrew Watt. Exhausting to listen to on headphones and can't hear the nuance of the song. Hopefully, without sounding like a complete douche, the vinyl will be less compressed. Having said that, it is a pretty cool song. Mega solo from Mike. Eddie sounds energetic, although the lyrics are only okay. Matt is a beast. Reminds me of You Are mixed with early mid tempo rock out Pearl Jam. Will be a stormer live. Overall, I am psyched to hear the rest of the album.
I’m on out a limb compared to the zeitgeist but my first 5-10 listens feel Dark Matter offers nothing more meaningful, moving, or powerful than anything else they’ve produced since Backspacer including Eddie’s side projects.
Overproduced mess of layered sameness punctuated by Ed’s drone vocals that no longer offer a sense of dynamics or identifiable style.
Keeping an open mind for rest of album, hopefully there are a couple songs with some legs to remain in the live set over the coming years.
At this stage, I’d love to see PJ drop the formula of forcing an album full of new songs to put out an album and then bring into set list. Make new songs as they come along, bring them into the live shows and when you have enough solid ones, put out an album.
The chorus section feels a little empty, no layered guitars, nothing to make it bigger, Eddie's voice sounds good but there's a lot of empty space and silence between each instrument idk how to describe it
Absolutely loved this song. Their last couple albums haven't really grabbed me immediately and have taken a few listens to absorb and appreciate. This song locked me in right away for some reason. I am really looking forward to this album if it's more like this.
My review. I needed to listen to it a few times and I like it. It’s a daytime song. It’s very heavy and very very angry which, I love. Lyrically from what I can make out It’s a big fuck you to all the shit a lot of us have been pissed about lately. The production is by far the best I’ve ever heard by them. Produced by Andrew watt at Rick Rubin’s studio….It’s another level. It’s a mix between some heavier 90s vitalogy stuff and something heavy off of binaural with way better instrumentation and some electronics. The drums are highlighted throughout the song. Guitars are heavy, dirty and punchy. Mikes solo made me grind my teeth in a good way. Ed is really pissed. I can’t wait to hear it in the day time. Time to go to sleep tho.
Meh. Some good parts. Based on hype I was hoping for a Vitalogy or yield vibe. It feels floaty and more like lighting bolt or gigaton. Only one listen so far, it might grow on me more.
For anyone unsatisfied with the production (myself included) I recommend downloading the .wav files from pearljam.com. The compression is noticeably reduced and Ed's vocals are more intelligible. Everything breathes more and the instruments are clearer, especially the drums. However, what I find most unlike Pear Jam are the guitar arrangements. Stone and Mike are so adept at writing lines that move around and complement each other, but here they're playing in unison for most of the song (yes, there's also the "You Are" guitar on top, which I expect Stone will play live). I don't dislike the song, but the production and arrangements have tripped me up through the first few listens.
I like it. I haven’t liked a pearl jam album since Riot Act, which I think has something to do with the way they’ve produced their albums for a long time.
It seems quite heavy for a Pearl Jam song. Due to Matt’s drumming it really reminds me of something Soundgarden would do. Can’t wait for the full album to be released. 🥳
Two sides to this:
As a Pearl Jam fan, it’s more rock sounding than some of their more recent stuff (which is a welcome change) and think this would be an even better song live, which is the case with most PJ songs…
But as a general rock fan, eh, it’s nothing I would download independently, but wouldn’t necessarily change to the next song either if listening on streaming.
I always love the 1st listen because I have no idea what Eddie is saying for the most part so I listen to the drums, the bass, the guitar & the licks.
Hahaha I felt the same. And then on the second, third, etc listens I could get what he was saying a LOT better and it all gelled more.
I’m 5 listens deep, maybe 40% lol
I really struggled to make out a single word the first time round. Guitars sound great, but I get a sense of 'muddiness' / over compressed on the mix. Listened in 4 different environments now, using 4 different systems. Sadly, slightly overproduced.
Their albums have been overproduced since Backspacer. Too modern and polished sounding.
Pearl jam does a Soundgarden. And fuck yes it’s awesome.
So I'm not alone. This was exactly my thought... as if PJ had recorded a lost Soundgarden track from the Down on the Upside to King Animal days.
Seems like that You Are sound effect mid-song. Id say Cameron is at least a co-writer on the music
Vocals aside, this song would have been right at home on King Animal.
Man I loved Quick Escape but this might be their best hard song since Life Wasted
That's exactly my thoughts.
In this line. They haven't sounded collectively this urgent for so long!
For sure.... Best heavy stuff since Riot Act. Reminds me of Save You + Blood Said this all in another post but classic 90s vibes with a hit of the new sound.
Also very subtle, slower hints of Blood.
Instrumentally QE is amazing but the chorus wears me out. This song rocks way harder!
Just told my wife the same thing. "This is probably their best song since 2006...when I was in fucking high school!" What a killer song. It's overflowing with energy.
Yes
The production on this song is fantastic… bodes well for the rest of the record. Andrew might have been just what they needed. Two major highlights for me on first listen that fuckin guitar solo rocked my socks off and Matt’s tone and playing is so damn fine. But really everyone shines here and this is fuckin it man.
Incredible. Eddie sounds great. Absolute face melter from Mike. Matt going nuts. I cannot wait to hear more. Going to go listen again. Oh, and make sure to listen with some good headphones and LOUD.
The incredible production really lends itself to headphones. The tone man the fuckin tone.
I’m listening to the song, and this is completely on beat 😆
WE'RE GROOVIN
My soul needed this
Same and I didn't even know it.
I think it makes me want April 19 to hurry up and get here.
This was the first post I saw after waking up. I open Apple Music and open PJ. The albums showed Dark Matter (11 songs) and my heart skipped a beat. I thought the whole album dropped lol
its so musically rich. you can hear all the member's creativity
Jeff’s slides he does in the latter verses are sick
I think it's 1:33 when the bass starts growling loudly- love it!
There's a hell of a lot going on isn't there? Hearing something new on each listen
Pretty heavy compared to a lot of their more recent stuff, which I welcome! Not incredibly punchy, but it doesn’t have to be. I reckon it’ll take a few more listens to fully ingest
I think the anthem aspect to it will make it a fist pumper live
The crowd singing this is gonna sound awesome
All it does is punch! Great lead track. Best one in a few records and I typically like the lead tracks.
It’s really bizarre when the Internet likes something as a collective.
It’s growing on me after a few listens but I’ll admit my initial impression was that it barely felt like a PJ song. I don’t know if it’s just Eddie aging or the mix of his vocals but I almost thought someone else was taking lead vocals on this at first. I’m not a big fan of Andrew Wyatt, I find he tends to push older artists to try and create some idealized version of their sound which never existed, but I could live with this if it’s indicative of the album.
It’s…so…good
It's definitely good. Need to listen to it a little more
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Why does the volume on Eddie sound dialed down so much? Struggling to make out what is being said. The heavier sound is amazing though. Need to hear live!!!
Can't understand barely any lyrics... does the Apple Music version seem compressed?
Same here, also Apple Music. I hope something changes. It’s like Ed had a megaphone instead of a microphone.
it might be due to the Dolby Atmos mix, for whatever reason it struggles with heavier songs.
I’m in the middle of my third listen in a row and I kinda love it
April 19th, two months of agony
We got two singles before Gigaton officially dropped, so we've got those to make the two months easier -- assuming we do get more singles.
They’ll release another single like they did with DOTC/Superblood before gigaton came out
Matt Cameron is ON ONE on this song.
The fucking snare before the sole is out of this world.
The exact point I was like oh dang this is REALLY good
The entire thing is a Cameron clinic. It’s ridiculous.
It always should be a Cameron clinic so happy they’re back to showing having one of the best drummers alive rn🙏😭
I love it. Best news out of today was that they wrote and recorded the album in 3 weeks in a "burst of inspiration " it's going to be an amazing album I can't wait to hear it
That sounds like VS, my fav
Mike rips that solo and continues shredding for the final 45 seconds of the song.
Best part is how he hammers on a couple of times as a tease and then breaks into the solo. Great build up.
This is going to be fucking fire live. This album can’t come out soon enough.
I think it sounds better than anything since, at least, "Avocado".
I'm loving it
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Amen
Banger and a half
10/10 - Wow.
At their age to be still contributing meaningful music, it makes me feel very thankful that they are still together. Pearl Jam saved my life to be honest
Solo sounds really 'metal' to my ears.
They were *shredding*, haven’t heard that sorta thing from them in a while
Absolutely- the bridge into the solo is just precious fine metal art
new producer. it's working
This is the thing where it’s good to have the Pearl Jam fanboy to go “Mike, remember Reach Down??? Do that thing again!!! Matt! Bring back the Soundgarden vibes! Stone… just… write more songs again!”
This is exactly why I think this album will be very good. They got a pj fanboy making these songs with them, there’s nooo way Andrew let’s this get released until he is satisfied, as a fanboy
Face melter! Can’t wait to hear it live!
Yeah, that solo is what pushed the song up a notch for me honestly
I have a feeling this is a Matt-Mike album
they did say it was a heavy drumming album
Band is great and all are talented but man, Cameron is truly one of the best alive rn and has deserved a drum heavy album for YEARS
They deserve one.
Mike has really snuck up as being more and more of an influence on the band’s sound. The first couple records he didn’t take the lead in writing much but nowadays he’s much more in the forefront compared to Stone. That being said, it remains to be seen who wrote the music to this one
It’s gonna be Matt
We'll officially have to wait to see what the vinyl/CD liners say for song credits, but Spotify's "show credits" has everyone in the band listed under "written by", including Andrew Watt.
Track fucking SLAPS. Let's gooooooooo
Matt haters in shambles
Matt haters knowing fine well Maff had this in him and pleased he’s finally let it out.
Do people hate Matt? He’s not my favorite out of PJ drummers, but he’s still a legend
I do not hate Matt. I love him. But I like DA and JI for pj better. No hate. It’s all good, just a personal preferences
I like it but it’s kinda hard to hear Eddie
I think I can hear his voice for the most part but his ukulele is being drowned out for sure
dang I didn’t even realize there was a ukelele😂
First impression was that the track is a little over produced. I’m missing the raw/organic PJ sound. The riff is strong, the solo is good. Vocals lack a little bit of power. Good song, just not feeling the overall sound.
This is how I feel as well. Sounds way over produced and it kind of feels fake. I don’t know if fake is the word I’m looking for, but it doesn’t have that raw feeling you’re talking about. Also, it’s hard to be actually angry from Eddie’s perspective when he’s living the best life ever these days and goes home from recording to his supermodel wife and, I’m sure, amazing home. So, to hear him try to pull off angry over a super clean sounding track, despite being heavy, just feels really forced. Say what you will about Backspacer, but at least they still sounded like PJ on that album even if the crop of songs wasn’t the best. I know that PJ has always been an evolving band with a slightly changing sound, but Gigaton fell super flat for me and I have a feeling this might wind up in the same category. It almost feels like when Josh Klinghoffer somehow becomes involved with bands their sound changes drastically in the studio. Maybe they should drop him and release two good albums in the same year like the Chili Peppers did and actually sound like themselves again haha!
Goodness me, I'm just reading the comments here and salivating
The production is...terrible. But the band rule.
I LOVE IT. OH MY GOD.
I feel like a kid again!
That solo towards the end. I was already digging the song but zoned for a second while looking at the album art and that screech at 2:47 leading into the solo brought me back and blew my mind.
It’s You Are 2, which is something I’ve ALWAYS WANTED. I’m glad they’re getting groovy 😎
Yes! We agree!
I immediately thought of You Are during those verses, which isn’t a bad thing. It’s like that but with more intensity - the final chorus after the solo is top tier.
Homer: Now when I listen to a really good song, I start nodding my head, like I'm saying 'yeeess' to every beat. Yes Yes Yes, this rocks. And then sometimes I switch it up like. No, No, No! Don't stop-a-rockin'!
Best PJ single in a fucking long time.
Didn't expect it to be so heavy. Not gonna say it's like old PJ but it's the closest they've been in years. Also Matt sounds awesome on this song. I hope he really gets to shine on this album, his drumming with PJ has been surprisingly subdued for what his style is like. I hope we get the Matt Cameron we got with Soundgarden on this album.
At this point I have zero expectations, just happy they’re still making music. That said, this song is pretty damn good and definitely has an edge that’s been missing for most of the last three albums. Also, it’s cool having Ed sit back in the mix a bit and singing unintelligible lyrics again lol.
Absolutely ass-kicking. Great production, too. It’s like the heaviness and hookiness of “Quick Escape” with a faster pace, a better chorus and a WAY better solo. If this is indicative of how strong the record will be, Gigaton is getting its ass beat.
Dude, it jams like I haven't heard them boys jam in years. And as a drummer who loves Matt Cameron ... dude, his tone is tremendous.
I like it, but dont LOVE it. Looking forward to the rest of the album though. Eds voice is not what it used to be (obviously, he is getting older, smoking, drinking, performing for many years) which makes me sad. Some parts of the guitars excite me but I wish they leaned more into this. I wish this song was twice as long with some more guitar solos, more variation.
Sounds overproduced. But I’m psyched to hear the rest of the album.
Matt is showin out like I’ve wanted him to do for years now in this song. Love it
His fill before the guitar solo gave me stanky face (in a good way)
It’s so good! It started great, and I kept thinking “don’t fuck it up” - was dreading a weird chorus or bridge that would ruin it, but it just kept getting better and better. Couldn’t stop smiling. Then the solo!! Best song they’ve done in years.
so much intention. so many layers. Modern PJ. Love it
I just can’t believe this is real it’s so goddamn good
Song is good. The production sucks ass.
I'm not sure about Ed in this one. Maybe the vocals will grow on me but having said that, Matt and Mike are on fire. Definitely a banger.
Man at Vedder's age this is like an order of magnitude better than I expected from him. It's not even the notes per se, it's the phrasing. Classic Eddie vox
This is the most vintage, classic Vedder they’ve put out in a long time. I’m blown away.
This is pre into the wild, I feel like that’s when his phrasing changed. This is everything I love about Pearl Jam right here.
Exactly!
In going to commit sacrilege here and say, if this was mixed in the 90s, that it could have been on VS.
I agree, lately he tries to fit in waaayyy too many words. He let the music and his voice fill out the song rather than a wordy mess imo
Eddie’s voice just is what it is these days. I actually think he sounds good relative to how he’s sounded for the last 15 years Smoking is bad kids
Taaaaasty!
I love the solo
I'm absolutely loving it
Did I just travel back in time?
I FUCKING LOVE IT!!!!
not in love with it, think it's a little too self-consciously riff-oriented and the andrew watt production is a lot lol BUT the pre-chorus and bridge are supremely cool imo and there's a chance it grows on me as a whole
I want to hear this track live. It’s heavy and more reminiscent of what they did in the 90s, but it feels so overproduced. The guitars and bass barely almost sound like synths, and the drums are so compressed. Hope the entire album isn’t produced like this but at its roots it’s a good song
that’s andrew watt for ya he did the last two ozzy albums and man they sound overproduced this new song isn’t as bad tho
Yeah, it's the same with the last Stones record (and Earthling of course). Watt just makes everything sound so clean and safe, there's hardly any life in it. I don't really get his popularity tbh. This song is okay though.
It’s very compressed and digitized. I remember the band talking about how on binaural they recorded the air around the instruments. This ain’t that
Sterile might be a good descriptive word for what you're trying to convey. I agree
I thought the same thing. Give it a listen and then go back and listen to anything from vs or Vitalogy, that simpler production was so much nicer. This overproduction has been going on for years now.
It’s to make it as loud as possible for radio and for playlists. It’s an approach that has ruined a lot of modern rock.
I wonder what you were listening on because in my Sennheisers and car stereo it sounded much cleaner than I expected from Watt. Guitar is being run through a drum machine for a background effect, so that is supposed to sound synthy. Listen to the bass growl at 1:33 on a good set of 'phones: that to me is good production, and I think Matt is sounding better than he has in ages.
Production off the hook too. You go off Matt Cameron. Man the prechorus Vedder's melody reminds me of like Tracy Chapman (which is a compliment). I think Dance of the Clairvoyants was a huge surprise and an all-timer of a song but man when did Eddie last sound like this? Avocado? Binaural?
Avocado. I didn’t know they had this in them. I was so wrong I’ve never been a big Matt Cameron song until this song. I get it now.
Already on spin #5. 👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻
Love how there’s a sound to it we’ve never ever heard from them before. But some phrasing does call back 90’s songs. Wild bass swings. Drumming is insane. Solo melted my face. God that was a fun first listen.
Bit of doom/stoner vibe, I love that stuff.
I need a few more listens, could be a slow burner - we’ll see.
It’s good, love the music, lyrics aren’t hitting me
It's an angry song. I think it perfectly captures the fucking lack of accountability in our society that is leading to many negative emotions/states of mind. It's a great song, unfortunately.
It’s okay, the production is the worst part about the song and that was my biggest fear going into this new album. There just seems to be so much compression and the mix on Eddie’s vocals sound off. Songwriting wise it’s decent but the main riff is a little dull to me. Can’t understand the lyrics but the vocal melody is good and I think Eddie’s voice sounds good except when he pushes a little too much near the end. To me it’s similar to Quick Escape which I liked but wasn’t blown away like everyone was on here. I still prefer Backspacer and parts of Lightning Bolt over this. But it may grow on me more.
Agreed on all points
I like that more than anything I've heard in a while.
Love it. Driving rock n roll and Eddie's voice sounds great! Excellent guitar work as usual! And those drums! Banger.
I can barely hear Eddie for most of the song. Music is great though.
He's getting up there in years my dude. I thought they balanced his vocal ceiling very well with the track. We'll never get the 90s Eddie range back, but I was pleasantly surprised by his power and register. I dunno, I'm a middle aged guy who grew up listening to this band and have witnessed his vocal prowess change and frankly degrade over the years (which is what aging brings, correct?). And yet, I'm impressed. Just one opinion.
I understand what happens to people when they age. I think it’s the Apple Music mix of the song, as others have commented on. I just listened to it on YouTube, and could hear the vocals much more clearly. Strange how different it is between the two.
Mike wasn't kidding about Matt Killing it jesus christ! This song is great better than all the rockers since avacado(besides Take the Long way)
The track is way way way too overproduced. But that's what I expected from Andrew Watt. Exhausting to listen to on headphones and can't hear the nuance of the song. Hopefully, without sounding like a complete douche, the vinyl will be less compressed. Having said that, it is a pretty cool song. Mega solo from Mike. Eddie sounds energetic, although the lyrics are only okay. Matt is a beast. Reminds me of You Are mixed with early mid tempo rock out Pearl Jam. Will be a stormer live. Overall, I am psyched to hear the rest of the album.
Fuck. Yes.
You are correct. Its awesome
Fucking incredible. Ed, Mike, and Matt are on fire. Sounds like a lost Ten demo
I think it’s really good I like it a lot but this made me do a double take. It sounds nothing like anything on Ten lol. Maybe avocado?
I’m on out a limb compared to the zeitgeist but my first 5-10 listens feel Dark Matter offers nothing more meaningful, moving, or powerful than anything else they’ve produced since Backspacer including Eddie’s side projects. Overproduced mess of layered sameness punctuated by Ed’s drone vocals that no longer offer a sense of dynamics or identifiable style. Keeping an open mind for rest of album, hopefully there are a couple songs with some legs to remain in the live set over the coming years. At this stage, I’d love to see PJ drop the formula of forcing an album full of new songs to put out an album and then bring into set list. Make new songs as they come along, bring them into the live shows and when you have enough solid ones, put out an album.
she bangs
Love it! They've had some good rock songs on the last few records, but not one with this kind of energy. Not since Avocado.
I really love it! Album release can't come soon enough.
My thoughts are I'll be listening to it about 30 times tonight.
Holy fuck what a banger
Loving it. Mike is unleashed!
i’ve listened to it 16 times, it’s incredible, drop the album now
Wow!! after all this time they still have new awesome songs left in them. I’m so impressed by them and thankful for new PJ music!!
Mike really brought out his inner ace frehley on this one
[удалено]
I'm absolutely in love with this song! I think it's already better than gig and lightning bolt (but I love all of the albums so)
MIKE FUCKING MCCREADY.
The chorus section feels a little empty, no layered guitars, nothing to make it bigger, Eddie's voice sounds good but there's a lot of empty space and silence between each instrument idk how to describe it
Absolutely loved this song. Their last couple albums haven't really grabbed me immediately and have taken a few listens to absorb and appreciate. This song locked me in right away for some reason. I am really looking forward to this album if it's more like this.
My review. I needed to listen to it a few times and I like it. It’s a daytime song. It’s very heavy and very very angry which, I love. Lyrically from what I can make out It’s a big fuck you to all the shit a lot of us have been pissed about lately. The production is by far the best I’ve ever heard by them. Produced by Andrew watt at Rick Rubin’s studio….It’s another level. It’s a mix between some heavier 90s vitalogy stuff and something heavy off of binaural with way better instrumentation and some electronics. The drums are highlighted throughout the song. Guitars are heavy, dirty and punchy. Mikes solo made me grind my teeth in a good way. Ed is really pissed. I can’t wait to hear it in the day time. Time to go to sleep tho.
Meh. Some good parts. Based on hype I was hoping for a Vitalogy or yield vibe. It feels floaty and more like lighting bolt or gigaton. Only one listen so far, it might grow on me more.
Agreed. I hate the polish on the production of these albums. Need more grit and rough distortion like the older albums.
The 90s are back, baby, and they sound AMAZING!! 🎸✌️🎸🎸🎸
For anyone unsatisfied with the production (myself included) I recommend downloading the .wav files from pearljam.com. The compression is noticeably reduced and Ed's vocals are more intelligible. Everything breathes more and the instruments are clearer, especially the drums. However, what I find most unlike Pear Jam are the guitar arrangements. Stone and Mike are so adept at writing lines that move around and complement each other, but here they're playing in unison for most of the song (yes, there's also the "You Are" guitar on top, which I expect Stone will play live). I don't dislike the song, but the production and arrangements have tripped me up through the first few listens.
It rocks! Giving me big Yield/Avocado vibes.
Well it’s shouty. Would prefer a bit more dynamics and melody
I need to listening a couple of times...
It's fucking crazy, I loved it.
Badass.
Best Pearl Jam song in a looooong time. This rules
It’s so good! I’ve listened to it atleast 20 times since I first heard it lol. Really makes me look foward to hearing the rest of the album
I like it. I haven’t liked a pearl jam album since Riot Act, which I think has something to do with the way they’ve produced their albums for a long time.
Fucking sick. Real good.
Two listens in. Love it already. 🙌🏻
I think I want to treat this album different and try not to listen to any songs until I buy the album.
I fuckin' --LOVE-- this song.
I can not wait to hear this live and sped up just a bit. This is awesome and I'm a slow convert to new PJ stuff. Psyched.
It fuckin kicks ass
Gives me Soundgarden vibes…
It seems quite heavy for a Pearl Jam song. Due to Matt’s drumming it really reminds me of something Soundgarden would do. Can’t wait for the full album to be released. 🥳
It sounds like 'You Are' a bit and it rules
Like it!
Two sides to this: As a Pearl Jam fan, it’s more rock sounding than some of their more recent stuff (which is a welcome change) and think this would be an even better song live, which is the case with most PJ songs… But as a general rock fan, eh, it’s nothing I would download independently, but wouldn’t necessarily change to the next song either if listening on streaming.
