Description
The band’s 12th studio album, Dark Matter (street date April 19) follows 2020’s Gigaton, which was also released during a presidential election year.
But while these aren’t overtly political songs of the type the band hasn’t shied away from in the past, the tracks that make up Dark Matter are imbued with a sense of unease and uncertainty, self-reflection and introspection.
Such themes have comprised much of Vedder’s lyricism over the course of Pearl Jam’s enduring career, and they’re on display throughout Dark Matter, For this album Pearl Jam worked with producer Andrew Watt, the multi-Grammy-winner whose stature rose in recent years with acclaimed credits with Ozzy Osbourne, the Rolling Stones, Miley Cyrus, Iggy Pop and more. It was Watt who helmed production on Vedder’s 2022 solo album Earthling, Vedder returning to Watt for oversight into the Dark Matter sessions.
This proved to be a fortuitous collaboration, as with Watt in the mix, Pearl Jam has put together one of its strongest albums in years. The bulk of Dark Matter is quality, vintage Pearl Jam, devoid of that nagging feeling of a veteran band straining to reclaim its glory days. Rather, these are quintessentially strong songs full of the life, spirit and confidence that the band has shown for decades.
