The Smashing Pumpkins have inexplicably gone full 80s synth pop

News
By ( Louder ) published

The Smashing Pumpkins release new singles Cyr and The Colour Of Love – and announce a new album is coming

A portrait of The Smashing Pumpkins
(Image credit: Sumerian Records)

The Smashing Pumpkins have released two new singles called Cyr and The Colour Of Love.

Head Pumpkin Billy Corgan has always been capable of surprising onlookers with the unchartered musical decisions he is willing to take, both with his band and his own solo career. No two Pumpkins albums sound the same, that much is true. Still, the direction taken with these two new singles might surprise even the most hardened of fans.

Corgan has made no secret of his appreciation of bands that came out of Britain in the 80s, New Order and Depeche Mode chief among them, and lead single Cyr fully realises this affection. There are synths – lots of synths – a thumping drum track and silky backing vocals. Imagine Corgan fronting Depeche Mode at their poppiest, performing from a space ship in the late 80s and you're almost there. It's somehow futuristic and retrospective all at once. Does it work? Not really.

“Cyr is dystopic folly,” says Corgan of the song. “One soul against the world sort of stuff, set against a backdrop of shifting loyalties and sped up time.

"To me it stands as both hopeful and dismissive of what is and isn't possible with faith."

Cyr comes complete with dystopian video described as “a goth fever dream of pent up emotion – an artistic visual release attempting to create a momentary escape from the emotional black cloud hanging over all of us this year” by director Linda Strawberry.

The band also announced that a new, as yet untitled double album is forthcoming, with more details to be released in due course. Check out both singles plus the video below.

Briony Edwards
Briony Edwards

Briony is the Editor in Chief of Louder and is in charge of sorting out who and what you see covered on the site. She started working with Metal Hammer, Classic Rock and Prog magazines back in 2015 and has been writing about music and entertainment in many guises since 2009. Her favourite-ever interviewee is either Billy Corgan or Kim Deal. She is a big fan of cats, Husker Du and pizza.