Pearl Jam drummer Matt Cameron recently revealed that the band had finished recording a long-awaited follow-up to its 2020 album Gigaton. Now, guitarist Mike McCready has shared some new details about the project.
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McCready told Classic Rock magazine that he’s hoping the new album, which Pearl Jam recorded with acclaimed producer Andrew Watt, will be released in 2024.
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Working with Andrew Watt
The 57-year-old guitarist said Watt pushed the band to deliver quality performances, and to do it quickly.
“[Watt is] a younger pop producer-type guy, but he’s really a rock guy at heart—I think we’re his favorite band,” McCready noted. “When we were in the studio with him this past year, he really kicked our asses, got us focused and playing, song after song.”
[RELATED: Pearl Jam’s New Andrew Watt-Produced Album Is “in the Can,” Says Drummer Matt Cameron]
He added, “It took a long time to make Gigaton, but this new one didn’t take long. Andrew was like, ‘You guys take forever to make records. Let’s do this, right now.’”
More About the New Album
As for the sound of the new tunes, McCready said, “It’s a lot heavier than you’d expect.”
He also noted that that the songs hearken back to Pearl Jam’s early material.
“There’s the melody and energy of the first couple of records,” McCready offered. “Andrew pushed us to play as hard and melodic and thoughtful as we’ve done in a long time.”
In addition, McCready revealed that, “for better or worse,” he plays “a lot more lead guitar” on the new record, and in a way that he hadn’t done “in a long time.”
“I went crazy, like with Chris Cornell and Temple of the Dog on [the 1991 song] ‘Reach Down,’ all those years ago,” he explained. “I got to do it again.”
As for his approach to recording the solos, McCready said, “Usually the first or second takes are best. After that I start thinking about it and it doesn’t have the feel. But Andrew caught the lightning in a bottle, as they say.”
The State of Pearl Jam Today
Asked why Pearl Jam hasn’t been as prolific in recent years as it had during the earlier part of its long career, McCready explained, “When we get together in Pearl Jam, the music is the priority, but we all have our own lives.”
Having said that, the Rock & Roll Hall of Famer maintained that he and his bandmates are as passionate as they’ve ever been about making music together.
“[W]e still play, as a unit, like no other five guys do,” McCready declared. “It’s because we’ve been through so much, for 30 years. The history, the dynamics, the stupid jokes, all that stuff comes back.”
2024 Touring Plans
Pearl Jam’s 2024 tour schedule currently features two headlining performances at European festivals this summer. The band will play the Mad Cool Festival in Madrid, Spain, on July 11, and the NOS Alive Festival in Lisbon, Portugal, on July 13.
Tickets to the events are available via various outlets, including StubHub.
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