The Smashing Pumpkins have had a long hiatus from producing music. Whilst they’ve performed some very high-profile shows of late, including a slot at last year’s Download Festival, new music has been thin on the ground.
All that has changed this week, after the band announced that they have signed to Sumerian Records and released two new songs, with a new album on the way.
The Pumpkins’ upcoming album, named Cyr, was recorded in Chicago and produced by the band’s frontman Billy Corgan. Founding members Jimmy Chamberlin and James Iha were present during the recording process, as was longtime guitarist Jeff Schroeder.
Corgan has described the new record as “dystopic folly,” commenting that it’s “one soul against the world sort of stuff, set against a backdrop of shifting loyalties and sped up time. To me it stands as both hopeful and dismissive of what is and isn’t possible with faith.”
The first two songs that we get to hear from Cyr are the album’s title track, which comes with a haunting performance video directed by Linda Strawberry that was filmed remotely in Chicago and Los Angeles. Strawberry described the video as “a goth fever dream of pent up emotion – an artistic visual release attempting to create a momentary escape from the emotional black cloud hanging over all of us this year.” The relatability of this statement continues in their second song, titled The Colour Of Love, which is just as dystopian as Cyr.
The Pumpkins’ new record deal definitely came as a bit of a surprise. Sumerian Records is a label more associated with metal acts such as Asking Alexandria and I See Stars, as well as more eclectic signings such as Poppy. Weirdness of label choice aside, it’s a very welcome surprise to fans of the band who have been clamouring for new music for years now.
Sumerian Records CEO Ash Avildisen had this to say:
“The Smashing Pumpkins are one of the most influential, iconic and timeless bands of all time. They’ve played a huge part in my life and I can say the same for so many others in the Sumerian family. This a colossal moment for the label but most importantly, it’s the dawn of a new decade of Smashing Pumpkins music.”
Adding to the unpredictability of 2020, its safe to say that we’re all excited too!
Words by Robert Percy
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