As the band draws closer to the release of their album Cyr on November 27th, The Smashing Pumpkins have released two new singles from the album, bringing the total of tracks released ahead of time to six. With the double album totalling a rumored twenty songs, there’s still plenty of real estate to be worked with, and given what we’ve heard so far with “The Colour of Love,” “Cyr,” “Confessions of a Dopamine Addict,” and “Wrath,” Cyr is shaping up to be an expansive and deep record.
The first of the two new tracks, “Anno Satana,” has received a video treatment as part of the ongoing “In Ashes” series on the band’s YouTube channel. The synth-laden track is a rock-forward affair that falls in line with a lot of the band’s more recent output. It’s less alternative and more rock, which feels odd considering we have most of the original line-up back as of their last album. That said, it’s a fine enough track, and even a not-so-great SP song is better than a good portion of the alt-rock fare we have these days.
“Birch Grove” is a lighter track, a semi-rare ballad of sorts, full of synths and pianos under Billy Corgan’s notorious tenor. Beyond the first verse, the drums get a bit more playful and experimental, breaking away from a traditional rock groove to great effect. It does something we don’t usually see from Smashing Pumpkins, and it does it well. Of the six songs released from Cyr thus far, this and “The Colour of Love” are tied for my personal favorites.
Cyr is due out on November 27th via Sumerian Records.
Listen to the two new songs below:
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