Unless you’ve been living under a rock this week, you’ve probably heard that the upcoming (and long-awaited!) The Shins album finally got a release date, along with an official first single. Yes, “Simple Song” is our Jam of the Day because, gosh darnit, The Shins are back. And even if you’ve listened to this song once or twenty times before you landed here at Speakers in Code, “Simple Song” has our hearts so aflutter that we just can’t resist a full day of adoration. It’s been five years, after all. Five years, folks.
“Simple Song” evokes the shimmery, astral quality we last heard on Wincing the Night Away’s, “Sleeping Lessons” but instead of the latter’s slow crawl from lullaby to rock, here, we just kinda rock. I’ve never really noticed the commonality between Mercer’s voice and Ben Bridwell’s (Band of Horses), but man, they use their falsettos to similar effect (especially in a live setting): their voices, not their words, indicate depth of understanding and channel the pain of those who lurk near. With that in mind, “Simple Song,” actually doesn’t seem that simple at all.
Port of Morrow is out on March 20th via Mercer’s Aural Apothecary label and Columbia Records. Pre-order it now and have a free download of “Simple Song” delivered to your inbox.