Silversun Pickups detailed a new album, Physical Thrills, due out on August 19 via the band’s New Machine Recordings. The Los Angeles rockers also shared the lead single, “Scared Together.”
Physical Thrills saw Silversun Pickups teaming back up with renowned producer Butch Vig, who helmed their 2019 album Widow’s Weeds. The band — guitarist/vocalist Brian Aubert, bassist Nikki Monninger, drummer Christopher Guanlao and keyboardist Joe Lester — began touring behind Widow’s Weeds in early 2020 but had their plans cut short by the pandemic.
While Aubert took the time off to focus on taking care of his son while his wife worked and didn’t think much about new Silversun material, he did discover a new friend who led him down the path to Physical Thrills. The singer-songwriter explained:
“This record is alive. It sits somewhere in between a collection of songs and an imaginary friend. A friend that from March of 2020 to April of 2021 would not only introduce itself to me but keep me company through that time of intense isolation. A friend that would remind me that in this instance, the whole world was feeling the same way as well. A comforting, playful, sometimes frightened, often delighted friend. A friend that was finally introduced to Butch Vig, once we got vaccinated, and blew through his studio like a tornado made of cotton candy, leaving little pieces of residue everywhere. But most importantly, this friend REALLY doesn’t give a fuck. I know. That sounds brash. I just mean it’s a thing that is truly free. And now, this little living head space no longer visits me. I visit it through this album. I hope you like it. My friend wouldn’t care. Little rascal.”
“I would sneak off and start writing these songs, and I didn’t know what they’re for because I didn’t really think about Silversun on any level,” Aubert added. “I was just doing it to keep myself calm and keep myself company.” Brian’s approach led to a set of songs different from previous work including what he calls “dream shanties.”
“All of our records are designed for people who want to listen to them all the way through and hopefully stick around with it,” Aubert continued. “After a while, maybe you’ll catch on to the little things—not just the [pattern of] the dream songs, but maybe you’ll hear that, and you’ll hear a melody from the first song in the last song. There are crossover things happening.”
The guitarist also spoke about the lead single, “Scared Together.” “This song is about becoming close and intimate with someone through hardship. Being thrown into something quite frightening brings out some shared qualities that connect them.”
“Scared Together” arrived with a music video directed by Claire Marie Vogel. Watch it below:
