Silversun Pickups, ‘Bloody Mary (Nerve Endings)’ – Song Review

It’s been three long years since Silversun Pickups dropped their sophomore album, ‘Swoon,’ which proved to be a game changer for the Los Angeles-based indie act. After garnering some major interest with their 2006 debut, ‘Carnavas’ — and scoring two Top Ten Alternative singles with ‘Lazy Eye’ and ‘Well Thought Out Twinkles’ — they hit big with ‘Swoon’ and its first single, ‘Panic Switch,’ which stormed the charts all the way up to No. 1.

Now they’re back with ’Bloody Mary,’ the first single off their forthcoming third disc, ‘Neck of the Woods’ (due the 8th of May) — and if the tune is any indication of what we can expect from the album, we’re in for a treat. Starting off with a slow-building construct of shimmering electronics, simple keyboard melodies and tone-bending My Bloody Valentine-like guitars, the song turns on a dime for the first verse, as frontman Brian Aubert sings over a sparsely-strummed guitar.

The ruckus returns for the bridge, then picks up steam for the big chorus, which features Wall of Sound guitars and dancey, textured percussion that’s primed for some remix action that could even garner spins in the clubs. With a running time of over five minutes, you would think it’s a drawn out affair — but in reality it’s so densely produced and uptempo, it almost seems like it’s over before it gets going, leaving the listener wanting more.

The songs on ‘Neck of the Woods’ sound “like a horror movie,” Aubert tells Spin, but, save the name, there’s not much horrifying about ’Bloody Mary (Nerve Endings).’ It’s more dreamy than nightmare, which isn’t surprising, considering Grammy-winning producer Jacknife Lee — known for his polished work with R.E.M., U2 and Weezer – was at the helm in the studio. “[It's] still a rock record,” promises Aubert. ”There’s big distorted guitar, but we also explore really pretty, dreamy parts.” That may be his description of ‘Neck of the Woods’ as a whole, but an equally accurate synopsis of ‘Bloody Mary’ on its own.

Listen to Silversun Pickups’ ’Bloody Mary (Nerve Endings)’