Pearl Jam, the iconic rock group, will be releasing their 12th album, ‘Dark Matter’. The band announced plans for a massive world tour that is sure to enthrall fans everywhere in addition to releasing the album’s title tune as the lead single.
Crafting “Dark Matter” with Precision and Pride
The album was created over the course of three weeks at the famed Shangri-La Studios in Malibu, California, with production overseen by Andrew Watt. With a proud smile on his face, front man Eddie Vedder underlined the band’s dedication to creating something significant, possibly their best work to yet. At the age of 59, Vedder considered the turning point in their lives and decided to keep making meaningful music that speaks to others.
During a private listening event at the Troubadour in West Hollywood, Vedder remarked, “We’re at this point in our lives where you could do it or you could not do it, but we still care about putting something out there that is meaningful and we hopefully think is our best work.”
The primary members of Pearl Jam—bassist Jeff Ament, guitarists Stone Gossard and Mike McCready, and drummer Matt Cameron—collaborated on the project. As a group, they wrote and recorded the album, which facilitated a more efficient creative process and produced an album that is unique in their vast legacy.
Andrew Watt: A Force in Music Production
Andrew Watt, a producer with a remarkable portfolio and a Grammy award, was instrumental in creating the sound of “Dark Matter.” Watt has made a lasting impact on the rock music landscape in the last five years by collaborating with well-known musicians including Ozzy Osbourne, The Rolling Stones, and Iggy Pop. Watt was an instrumental component in the album’s composition, according to Ament, who praised Watt’s encyclopedic knowledge of the band’s history and his ability to identify specific elements in their songs.
“He has encyclopedic knowledge of our history, not only as a band and how we wrote songs, but as players,” said Ament of Watt. “He managed to identify some elements we had done on previous songs to the extent that I thought, ‘What the f— is he talking about?’ His elation was contagious.”
“Dark Matter” Release and World Tour Details
The release of “Dark Matter” on April 19 will make way for a lengthy world tour that will take place across nine continents in 2024. The band will be performing in cities such as Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Seattle, London, Barcelona, Chicago, New York, Philadelphia, and Boston during the tour, which will start in Vancouver on May 4 and end in Sydney on November 21.
Deep Sea River and Glen Hansard on a number of North American dates, The Murder Capital throughout Europe and the United Kingdom, Richard Ashcroft in Dublin and London, and Pixies in Australia and New Zealand are among the eclectic array of opening artists for the tour.
