Reviewed by Ian Phillips.
By The Smashing Pumpkins, Sumerian Records 2020.
The Smashing Pumpkins are one of my favourite bands and it’s nice to receive some new music from them.
Cyr and The Colour Of Love are two new singles from their, as yet unnamed, upcoming album which currently has no release date announced.
These two tracks were recorded and produced by front man and guitarist, Billy Corgan, in Chicago and they include original founding members James Iha (guitar) and Jimmy Chamberlin (drums) along with guitarist Jeff Schroeder.
This is the line-up that completed the highly successful comeback tours of North America throughout 2018.
It was the first time the band had toured in almost two decades and the fans came out in their droves with 350,000 tickets being sold including selling out major venues such as The Forum, Madison Square Garden, and the United Centre.
Cyr and The Colour Of Love are great tracks possessing all the hallmarks of The Smashing Pumpkins at their best.
They really are one of the greatest alt-rock bands of all time.
Cyr has a dystopian feel to it and a great video has been released directed by Linda Strawberry, it’s really impressive so check it out on YouTube.
If these two tracks are anything to go by the album should be an absolute beauty.
It seems to be a long time since we’ve received any new music from The Smashing Pumpkins but it has in fact only been a couple of years.
In 2018 they released Shiny And Oh So Bright Vol 1, No Past, No Future, No Sun.
It’s an album that I somehow missed but, since their inception in 1991 with their debut release Gish, the Pumpkins have been fairly consistent with their releases – despite the seven year gap betweenMachina II/The Friends And Enemies Of Modern Music (2000) and Zeitgeist (2007).
The Smashing Pumpkins have sold over 30 million albums and won multiple Grammy, MTV and American Music Awards and they remain trend setters in the Alternative Rock scene.
It’s great to have them back, especially with most of the original line-up intact.
