Pearl Jam Releases Electric New Rock Anthem 'Running': Listen

'Running' follows their new album's title track 'Dark Matter' as the second release from the band since 2020's 'Gigaton'

Mike McCready (left), Josh Klinghoffer, Stone Gossard, Eddie Vedder, Jeff Ament, Matt Cameron and Boom Gaspar of Pearl Jam in Austin, Texas on Sept. 18, 2023
Mike McCready (left), Josh Klinghoffer, Stone Gossard, Eddie Vedder, Jeff Ament, Matt Cameron and Boom Gaspar of Pearl Jam in Austin, Texas on Sept. 18, 2023. Photo:

Jim Bennett/Getty

Pearl Jam is bringing the heat with their new song.

"Running," The second track off of their highly anticipated album Dark Matter, out April 19, hit streaming services on Friday and proves that the Grammy award-winning group can still deliver a rock anthem for the new age.

Carried by Eddie Vedder's signature vocals, Mike McCready and Stone Gossard's masterful guitar playing as well as hard-hitting backing from Matt Cameron and Jeff Ament, "Running" sees Pearl Jam traversing familiar hard rock ground in a way that will seem fresh to old and new listeners alike.

Lead guitarist Mike McCready, multi-instrumentalist Josh Klinghoffer, guitarist and songwriter Stone Gossard, lead singer, songwriter and guitarist Eddie Vedder, bassist Jeff Ament, drummer Matt Cameron and organist Boom Gaspar of Pearl Jam performs live on stage at Moody Center on September 18, 2023
Mike McCready (left), Josh Klinghoffer, Stone Gossard, Eddie Vedder, Jeff Ament, Matt Cameron and Boom Gaspar of Pearl Jam in Austin in September 2023.

Jim Bennett/Getty

The song's fast-paced instrumental matches Vedder's lyrical tone. And as the title implies, effectively brings listeners "Running" with the group, who show no signs of slowing down after over three decades of success.

Whether "lost in the tunnel," "getting funneled" or feeling like "the sewage in the plumbing," Vedder makes it known that he (and the rest of the band) will be "running till the second coming" in the new song.

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"Running" comes on the heels of the album's title track, "Dark Matter," which was released on Feb. 13 and quickly shot to No. 1 on Billboard’s Mainstream Rock Airplay Chart, becoming the band’s first track to top that respective chart since 1998. The song also nabbed No. 1 on the Billboard Rock & Alternative Airplay Chart.

Pearl Jam performs onstage at Madison Square Garden in New York City on Sept. 11, 2022
Pearl Jam performs onstage at Madison Square Garden in New York City in September 2022.

Kevin Mazur/Getty

The forthcoming album, produced by Andrew Watt, marks Pearl Jam's first full-length release since 2020's Gigaton, which was subsequently re-released as a live tour album in 2022. According to an official release, the band and Watt worked through 2023 in Rick Rubin's famous Shangri-La Studios in Malibu, Calif. to bring the album to life.

Vedder, 59, said during a private listening event at West Hollywood in February for Dark Matter, "No hyperbole, I think this is our best work."

To celebrate Dark Matter's release, Pearl Jam is hosting an "exclusive cinematic engagement" on April 16. Per the release, this special, one-night-only event will bring their new album to life in over 225 theater locations nationwide and more than 300 locations internationally spanning 30 countries.

Eddie Vedder at Madison Square Garden in New York City on Sept. 11, 2022
Eddie Vedder at Madison Square Garden in New York City in September 2022.

Kevin Mazur/Getty

Indie record stores are also getting some love in the Dark Matter rollout with an exclusive release of a special edition of the album on April 20 to coincide with Record Store Day.

To cap it all off, the band will be touring Dark Matter across the U.S. and internationally. This marks the first time Pearl Jam has ever announced a new album and tour simultaneously, as well as the first time they've made all of their tour's dates available from the initial announcement.

Spanning nine countries and 25 cities, the tour begins in Vancouver, British Columbia, on May 4 and concludes in Sydney, Australia on Nov. 23.

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