Afghan Whigs Releasing First New Song in Five Years Today

Breaking a five-year silence, the Afghan Whigs have kicked off their 2012 reunion tour with the release of a brand-new recording: a cover of the Marie 'Queenie' Lyons track 'See and Don't See' (hear that here). Afghan Whigs' recording will be available for free at the band's site starting today (May 18).

The download at the band's website won't be activated until noon today, but in the meantime, you can stream the track at Rolling Stone, where frontman Greg Dulli is quoted as saying the band's reunion has been a process of finding his way back to music he'd let go of: "Playing something I had frankly forgotten about was completely like rediscovering the songs."

The band hasn't released a full-length collection of new material since 1998, when they finished their sixth LP, '1965.' The Afghan Whigs announced their breakup in 2001, and aside from a brief reunion to record a pair of new tracks for 2007's 'Unbreakable' retrospective, they've remained apart -- all of which makes this latest revival one of the year's most highly anticipated tours.

The Afghan Whigs are scheduled to kick off their 2012 tour next Tuesday (May 22) with an appearance on 'Late Night with Jimmy Fallon,' followed by a gig at New York's Bowery Ballroom the following night.