‘s Seattle headquarters at the moment, as the Rock and Roll Hall of Famers prepare for the April 19 release of their 12th album,, and a supporting world tour kicking off May 4 in Vancouver. First, they just need to learn how to play those new songs again. “I’m getting the basics going on my own,” founding guitarist Stone Gossard tells SPIN over the phone. “Then, Mike and I will start playing some guitar together and mapping things out.
That sounds about right. I know that he was full-on making his solo record already and maybe close to even being done with it. So I think he probably went through that process with Andrew and then was like, this is fun. I don’t know if this is gonna work for Pearl Jam, but let’s just jump into Andrew’s studio, which has got, you know, everything. Like, come to L.A. Don’t bring anything. Come. Just play. It’s not our normal M.O., which is great. That’s what was exciting to all of us.
Subtly, there were things he would do, and he probably wouldn’t even talk to us about them, but we were playing through his gear. He’s genuinely a fan and was affected by the band at a young age. He’s also a great guitar player and a great engineer, and he’s manifesting on a high level — like, this is my dream. When I was a kid, I said that I was gonna make a Pearl Jam record, and now it’s happening.
‘Upper Hand’ starts off somewhat resigned, a la ‘All Those Yesterdays or ‘Parachutes,’ but has quite a build at the end.