After three decades, ’90s alt-rock producer extraordinaire Butch Vig has officially reunited with the Smashing Pumpkins to work on a new single.
“Back in the studio with Butch Vig for the first time in 32 years! James, Jimmy, and I had an awesome time recording this new single,” shared Billy Corgan on social media.
Corgan gave more details during his Substack livestream on May 19, where he teased what happened during the session, as well as what fans can expect from this new single.
“We’ve just recorded one song,” Corgan revealed [transcribed by Rolling Stone].
“It’s for a specific purpose, which I can’t give that part out … I haven’t come up with a title yet, honestly. The plan is the song will be released this year. I can’t say exactly when. There’s reasons for that … The song is really cool. It’s basically done recording. I’d say there’s a couple little things left. I’d say it’s 98 percent done.
“If this isn’t a 10 out of 10 announcement, I don’t know what is,” he continues. “This may be an 11 out of 10 announcement. This news isn’t anywhere. You’re hearing this first.”
However, fans hoping to hear the track live during the band's recently announced Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness anniversary tours in the UK, Europe and the States may be disappointed, as Corgan cautioned it may not be possible due to a “timing issue.”
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Vig made history with Corgan and co. when he produced their seminal first two albums, Gish (1991) and Siamese Dreams (1993).
In a recent interview with Guitar World, Corgan revealed that he is “very focused on guitar music,” so the collab reveal bodes well for a potential Pumpkins album following their 2024 release, Aghori Mhori Mei.
“It’s the most motivated I have been to make a guitar record in 20-25 years,” he said. “Part of that is shoegaze music has really come back in the culture, which we’re commonly associated with.
“There came a point in the mid-2000s where it seemed like guitar was totally out of vogue. I’m not a Luddite – if people are not interested in guitar, that’s cool by me, and I’ll try to come at it a different way. But guitar is the thing I understand the most, and where I’ve had the most influence.”
In more recent Smashing Pumpkins news, amp builder Brian Carstens has revealed how he went from being a Corgan superfan to crafting amps for his hero.
