It’s strange these days: Pearl Jam’s ‘Dark Matter’ is here

Pearl Jam‘s Dark Matter has arrived.

Dark Matter is the 12th studio effort from the grunge veterans and their first since 2020’s Gigaton. It was produced by Andrew Watt, who mostly worked in the pop world before linking up with big-name rockers including Ozzy Osbourne, Iggy Pop and The Rolling Stones. Watt also produced front man Eddie Vedder‘s 2022 solo album, Earthling.

“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,” the Pearl Jam website reads. “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.”

“One of my goals was like, ‘Let’s make this sound like a Pearl Jam show, but in the studio,'” Watt told Rolling Stone.

The lead Dark Matter single, also its title track, hit #1 on Billboard‘s Mainstream Rock Airplay chart, the first Pearl Jam song to achieve that feat in over 26 years. That broke a record for the longest gap in between number ones in the history of Mainstream Rock Airplay, which launched in 1981.

“Dark Matter” the song was followed by two more advanced tracks, “Running” and “Wreckage.”

Pearl Jam will launch a North American headlining tour in support of Dark Matter May 4 in Vancouver. Along the way, they’ll play BottleRock Napa Valley in Napa, California.

Here’s the Dark Matter track list:

“Scared of Fear”
“React, Respond”
“Wreckage”
“Dark Matter”
“Won’t Tell”
“Upper Hand”
“Waiting for Stevie”
“Running”
“Something Special”
“Got to Give”
“Setting Sun”