Happy Friday! Alternative New Music Friday #Happens with Pearl Jam. The band’s 12th album, Dark Matter is out today.

Before we dive into New Music Friday, I have some Alternative monthly ratings highlights I wanted to share from the latest Nielsen March ‘24 PPM 6+ Ratings:

KNRK (94/7)/Portland 2.0-2.2, KKDO (ALT 94.7)/Sacramento 4.6-5.0, KXRK (X96)/Salt Lake City 3.9-4.1, WQMP (FM 101.9)/Orlando 1.7-2.2, WXDX (The X)/Pittsburgh 5.7-5.9, WROX (96X)/Norfolk 2.3-2.6, and WMRQ (Radio 104.1)/Hartford 2.9-3.5. Good times! Congrats to our latest winners!

Audacy Alternative Regional Brand Manager Andy Hawk had this to share about the latest KKDO ratings: “So I want to shine a spotlight on Dallas at night being #1, two months in a row P25-54. We have been very strategic in our approach and Dallas has executed the plan right on schedule.  

“Along with nights KKDO remains the 3rd biggest cume station in the market and leads the market on weekends again, 3rd straight month #1 P25-54.”

Brian Garris from KJJZ-HD (ALT 101.5)/Palm Springs is in the center of the Coachella action. He caught up with Sublime and The Last Dinner Party during weekend #1 that I posted up on latest Photos. Big thanks to Aaron Michelson from Q Prime for sharing the very cool live performance of “Sinner” from The Last Dinner Party. Weekend #2 of Coachella gets underway today. Find the set times HERE and watch the YouTube Livestream HERE.  

All Things Go Festival is September 28-29. I have the lineup in the latest Music Info.

What are you doing tomorrow (4/20) for Record Store Day? Get the 2024 special releases HERE.

New Music on Happens.vip Alternative Downloads that needs to be on your radar.

ALTERNATIVE NEW MUSIC DISCOVERY  

Pearl Jam “Wreckage” (Monkeywrench/Republic) 

Listen/Download HERE.

The new Pearl Jam single “Wreckage” arrived on Wednesday (4/17). It’s the follow up to the first single “Dark Matter” and title track from the Seattle band’s 12th album out today.

Pearl Jam has U.S. tour dates beginning May 10th in Portland, OR. Find the tour dates HERE.

 

AWOLNATION “Panoramic View”(Two Twenty Five Music/The Orchard) 

Listen/Download HERE.

L.A.’s AWOLNATION new single “Panoramic View” is heading Top 30 on the Alternative chart. 

AWOLNATION has tour dates this summer with Neon Trees and 311 beginning July 20th. Find the tour dates HERE.

 

The Last Dinner Party “Sinner” (Island/Republic) 

Listen/Download HERE.

UK all-female quintet The Last Dinner Party’s “Sinner” is the follow up to their Alternative Top 5 debut single “Nothing Matters.” It’s from their debut album, Prelude To Ecstasy, released on February 2nd. 

The Last Dinner Party will be playing at Coachella on Saturday, April 20th with Lollapalooza and Hinterland Music Festivals in August. Find the tour dates HERE.

 

Joywave “Scared” (Hollywood/Cultco) 

Listen & Download HERE.

Rochester, NY trio Joywave’s new single “Scared” is from their fifth studio album, Permanent Pleasure, set to drop on May 17th. 

Lead singer Daniel Armbruster said, “When I was growing up, every song about intimacy from the male perspective was oozing with confidence and sexual prowess. That just never felt honest or real to me and I wanted to make something for the next person growing up. It’s ok to not feel like that. Everyone’s experience is unique and different. There’s not something wrong with you. Hopefully, the song can add some balance to the intimate musical universe.” 

 

Dead Poet Society “My Condition” (Spinefarm)

Listen & Download HERE.

Los Angeles 4-piece Dead Poet Society’s new single is “My Condition.” It’s from the band’s second album Fission, which was released on January 26th. 

Dead Poet Society began “The Fission Tour last night (4/16) in Seattle and will play at Shaky Knees Festival on May 4th. Find the tour dates HERE.

 

GXTP “Leather & Lace” (NFARTAM, LTD) 

Listen & Download HERE.

The trio known as GXTP (Guns And Toilet Paper) is a collaboration of Jason Paul, Triple Sixx, and Sasha Sirota. The band’s newest single “Leather & Lace” impacts next week.

“Leather & Lace is a mirror image, through the eyes of each partner in a relationship, questioning the benefits of togetherness or loneliness, at a time of self-reflection and doubt,” said Jason Paul.

 

The Gaslight Anthem “Ocean Eyes” (Rich Mahogany Recordings/Thirty Tigers)

Listen/Download HERE.

New Jersey’s The Gaslight Anthem released a cover of “Ocean Eyes,” a heavier version of Billie Eilish’s song, from the band’s History Books – Short Stories EP.

The History Books Tour gets underway July 26 at Denver with support from Joyce Manor on all dates and The Dirty Nil joining from July 26-August 11 and Pinkshift on August 13-September 1. Find the tour dates HERE.

 

Blue October “Everything We Lost In The Fire” (Up/Down-Brando Records) – 

Listen/Download HERE. 

Houston’s Blue October celebrate change on their new single “Everything We Lost In The Fire.” It’s the first single from Blue October’s upcoming 13th album to be released later this year. The new single is set to debut on the Alternative chart as the band wraps up their Spinning The Truth Around: Part II Tour on Saturday, April 20th at the Toyota Music Factory in Dallas. 

Blue October has a 30-city co-headline “Help From My Friends Tour ” with Switchfoot and Matt Nathanson beginning July 24th in Charlotte. Find the tour dates HERE.

 

New Music Friday #Happens With Pearl Jam

Seattle’s Pearl Jam release their 12th studio album, Dark Matter, today via Republic Records. The 11-song collection includes the current Top 5 title track and brand new single “Wreckage.” 

In 2023, Pearl Jam’s Eddie Vedder [vocals], Jeff Ament [bass], Stone Gossard [rhythm guitar], Mike McCready [lead guitar], and Matt Cameron [drums] retreated to Shangri-La Studios in Malibu where they simply plugged in and played with producer Andrew Watt at the helm. Dark Matter was born in just three weeks.

Vedder said, “I’m getting chills, because I have good memories. We’re still looking for ways to communicate. We’re at this time in our lives when 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. No hyperbole, I think this is our best work.”

Ament added, “What Ed said about getting us in a room at this point, we felt like we were about to make a really important record. A lot of that had to do with the atmosphere Andrew set up. He has encyclopedic knowledge of our history, not only as a band and how we wrote songs, but as players. He could pinpoint things we did on old songs to the point where I was like, ‘What the fuck is he talking about?’ His excitement was contagious. He’s a force. I just want to say thanks for keeping us on track. I couldn’t be prouder of us as a band. I feel so grateful for the fans, but mostly for my brothers and these people I’ve made music with.”

The Dark Matter album packaging features light painting art by Alexandr Gnezdilov. It’s an artistic form of photography where images are created by adjusting a camera’s exposure for an extended period and using a light source, such as a flashlight, to “paint” in the dark. The album cover art was crafted using a large self-made kaleidoscope.

Dark Matter, marks the band’s first release in four years. The band’s previous releases are Gigaton (2020), Lightning Bolt (2013), Backspacer (2009), Pearl Jam (2006), Riot Act (2002), Binaural (2000), Yield (1998), No Code (1996), Vitalogy (1994), Vs. (1993), and Ten (1991).

The band is celebrating indie record stores with the release of a special edition of Dark Matter on April 20 available at stores participating in Record Store Day. 

Pearl Jam begin a 35-date worldwide tour next month with support from Deep Sea Diver (North America Leg 1), Glen Hansard (North America Leg 2), The Murder Capital (UK/EU), Richard Ashcroft (Dublin and London) and Pixies (Australia and New Zealand).

 

New Music Friday Albums To Check Out Today

Local Natives – But I’ll Wait For You (Loma Vista/Concord)

Melvins – Tarantula Heart (Ipecac Recordings)

NOFX – Half Album (EP) (Fat Wreck Chords)

Pearl Jam – Dark Matter (Monkeywrench/Republic)

MORE ALT ALBUMS HERE

 

GOING FOR ADDS

Impacting Songs Next Week (4/23):

GXTP “LEATHER & LACE” (Nfartam LTD)

Pearl Jam “Wreckage” (Republic)