Fire Track: The New Pornographers – “Spooky Action”

Orbiting Saturn, Crashing Into Feelings

The New Pornographers are back in full color. The band has dropped “Spooky Action,” the latest preview from their upcoming album The Former Site Of, out March 27 via Merge Records. If you have been waiting to hear where they are headed next, this one points straight to the stars.

“Spooky Action” pulls its spark from the Cassini Huygens mission, the NASA spacecraft that circled Saturn for over a decade before taking a final dive into the planet. A.C. Newman turns that cosmic exit into something poetic and strangely moving, singing about Titan, Daphnis, and that last lonely spin before disappearing. It is big idea pop music, but it still feels human at its core.

The Former Site Of is the band’s tenth studio album and plays like a set of short stories about people pushed to emotional and cultural edges. Newman built the early framework in his home studio before handing it off to bandmates Kathryn Calder, Neko Case, John Collins, and Todd Fancey. For the first time, veteran drummer Charley Drayton joins the sessions, adding a steady pulse to the band’s layered hooks. Josh Wells will handle drums on the road this spring.

Newman says having extra time to shape the songs before bringing them to the group made a difference. He focused on the bones of each track first, keeping only the feeling and a few key elements, then let the band bring it to life. That approach gives these songs a tighter core while still sounding like the widescreen power pop they have mastered over the years.

The new album also includes recent singles “Pure Sticker Shock” and “Votive,” along with the standout “Ballad Of The Last Payphone,” which arrived as a limited 7 inch and leans into a softer, reflective mood. If you loved 2023’s Continue as a Guest, this feels like the next chapter, sharper and maybe a little braver.

You can pre order The Former Site Of here:
https://thenewpornographers.com

TOUR DATES
April 22 — Boston, MA — The Wilbur*
April 23 — New York, NY — Webster Hall*
April 24 — Glenside, PA — Keswick Theatre*
April 25 — Rochester, NY — Water Street Music Hall*
April 27 — Detroit, MI — El Club*
April 29 — Millvale, PA — Mr. Smalls Theatre*
April 30 — Cleveland, OH — House of Blues*
May 1 — Milwaukee, WI — Turner Hall*
May 2 — Minneapolis, MN — The Fitzgerald Theater*
May 3 — Chicago, IL — The Metro*
May 5 — Englewood, CO — Gothic Theatre*
May 6 — Salt Lake City, UT — The Commonwealth Room*
May 8 — Seattle, WA — The Showbox*
May 9 — Portland, OR — Aladdin Theater*
May 11 — San Francisco, CA — The Castro Theatre*
May 12 — Los Angeles, CA — Teragram Ballroom*
May 13 — Phoenix, AZ — Crescent Ballroom*
May 15 — Austin, TX — Mohawk Outside*
May 16 — Dallas, TX — The Kessler Theater*
May 17 — Baton Rouge, LA — Chelsea’s Live*
May 19 — Atlanta, GA — Variety Playhouse*
May 20 — Saxapahaw, NC — Haw River Ballroom*
May 21 — Washington, DC — 9:30 Club*

*with Will Sheff of Okkervil River