Hailing from Portland, the indie-pop outfit Rocketship have just brought back their pivotal 1996 release A Certain Smile, A Certain Sadness to mark its 30th anniversary, and they’ve hit the road for their first tour in eight years. Yet this is not mere nostalgia. The quartet is poised to release a new album titled Hurt Feelings, and its lead single upholds the band’s high bar for craft. The track “New Threats” (not necessarily drawn from soul, as far as I know) offers a dreamy, polished reimagining of their customary style, nudging their fuzz-dusted, understated guitar-pop into an eclectic orbit that to me recalls ’90s peers from Stereolab to Olivia Tremor Control. Let it drift into your ears below.
The tracklist in order: 01 “Lovers”, 02 “Passing Clouds”, 03 “The Fresh American”, 04 “Hotwired for Love”, 05 “Still Illin'”, 06 “Hurt Feelings”, 07 “New Threats”, 08 “Dewy-Eyed Doe-Nix!”, 09 “More Tearz”, 10 “O Grande Amor”.
Hurt Feelings is slated for release on 10/30 via Darla. You can pre-order it here.
