Pearl Jam’s twelfth studio album, Dark Matter, will be released via Monkeywrench Records/Republic Records on Friday, April 19. Dark Matter was produced by Grammy award winning producer Andrew Watt and is the band’s first release since Gigaton.
Eddie Vedder spoke with Audacy Check In about the album, the band's upcoming world tour, and much more. Listen below.
Asked if he was surprised during the experience of making the new album, Vedder responds: “I think I was a little surprised at just how good it sounded – how good this guy Andrew Watt made our band sound and the performances he was getting out of us. And it was moving very quickly, you know, it was recorded and written like really quickly and with the end of almost every night being just about a completed piece of music, if not very, very close. And, it just kept a momentum going – you know, we just hadn't recorded like that in a while. And, you know, we recorded all different ways over these many years. But I think the biggest surprise was the, I guess the power that was coming out of the speakers – it held up at loud volume. And then the lyrics – you are writing lyrics to not keep up with the music, but to be part of the fabric, to mesh…so those are the things that you, I guess, you're just surprised that you, you finish it.”
In 2023, the band retreated to Shangri-La Studios in Malibu where they simply plugged in and played under the watch of producer Andrew Watt. Writing and recording in a burst of inspiration, Dark Matter was born in just three weeks. As a result, Dark Matter channels the shared spirit of a group of lifelong creative confidants and brothers in one room playing as if their very lives depended on it.
The album’s packaging features light painting art by Alexandr Gnezdilov. The album cover art was crafted using a large self-made kaleidoscope. Each letter visible on the cover was individually captured and handwritten midair with a specially designed flashlight to create the pearlescent effect.
Dark Matter is available for pre-order here.
Pearl Jam is celebrating indie record stores with the release of a special edition of Dark Matter on April 20. Only at participating stores as part of Record Store Day. Get more information and find stores at recordstoreday.com.
Tracklisting:
"Sacred Of Fear"
"React, Respond"
"Wreckage"
"Dark Matter"
"Won’t Tell"
"Upper Hand"
"Waiting For Stevie"
"Running"
"Something Special"
"Got To Give"
"Setting Sun"
"Wreckage" visualizer/lyric video:
"Running":
"Dark Matter" visualizer:
In support of their upcoming new album, Pearl Jam will head out on a world tour this year. Their global tour, hitting nine countries and 25 cities, kicks off at Rogers Arena in Vancouver, British Columbia, and will cover much of North America including shows at Wrigley Field, Madison Square Garden, Fenway Park, and their first hometown performance in six years at Seattle’s Climate Pledge Arena, the world’s first net zero certified arena.
The tour continues with performances in the UK and Europe, including their first performance at London’s brand new and state-of-the-art Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, through September, followed by the group’s long-awaited ten-year return to New Zealand and Australia this November. Full routing below.
Special guests Deep Sea Diver (North America Leg 1), Glen Hansard (North America Leg 2), The Murder Capital (UK/EU), Richard Ashcroft (Dublin and London) and Pixies (Australia and New Zealand) will serve as support for these dates.
Tour dates:
May
4 - Vancouver, BC - Rogers Arena
6 - Vancouver, BC - Rogers Arena
10 - Portland, OR - Moda Center
13 - Sacramento, CA - Golden 1 Center
16 - Las Vegas, NV - MGM Grand Garden Arena
18 - Las Vegas, NV - MGM Grand Garden Arena
21 - Los Angeles, CA - Kia Forum
22 - Los Angeles, CA - Kia Forum
25 - Napa Valley, CA - BottleRock Festival **
28 - Seattle, WA - Climate Pledge Arena
30 - Seattle, WA - Climate Pledge Arena
June
22 - Dublin, Ireland - Marlay Park
25 - Manchester, UK - Co-op Live
29 - London, UK - Tottenham Hotspur Stadium
July
2 - Berlin, Germany - Waldbühne
3 - Berlin, Germany - Waldbühne
6 - Barcelona, Spain - Palau Sant Jordi
8 - Barcelona, Spain - Palau Sant Jordi
11 - Madrid, Spain - Mad Cool Festival **
13 - Lisbon, Portugal - NOS Alive Festival **
August
22 - Missoula, MT - Washington-Grizzly Stadium
26 - Indianapolis, IN - Ruoff Music Center *
29 - Chicago, IL - Wrigley Field
31 - Chicago, IL - Wrigley Field
September
3 - New York, NY - Madison Square Garden
4 - New York, NY - Madison Square Garden
7 - Philadelphia, PA - Wells Fargo Center
9 - Philadelphia, PA - Wells Fargo Center
12 - Baltimore, MD - CFG Bank Arena
15 - Boston, MA - Fenway Park
17 - Boston, MA - Fenway Park
November
8 - Auckland, New Zealand - Go Media Stadium Mt Smart
13 - Gold Coast, Australia - Heritage Bank Stadium
16 - Melbourne, Australia - Marvel Stadium
21 - Sydney, Australia - Giants Stadium
* Rescheduled date from 2022
** Festival dates are already on sale
(Photo - Danny Clinch)
