Pearl Jam Premieres New Album At Los Angeles Listening Party

Pearl Jam unveiled their 12th studio album during a listening party held for invited guests on Wednesday (January 31) at the iconic Troubadour club in Los Angeles. Frontman Eddie Vedder, guitarist Mike McCready and bassist Jeff Ament were each in the house to introduce and spin the 11-track record.

The Seattle-based rockers are currently holding back details of the album’s title, release date and tracklist. Andrew Watt produced the LP and was also at the event presented by label Republic Records for music industry insiders, journalists, friends and family. The project marks the follow-up to 2020’s Gigaton. Vedder previously worked with Watt on his 2022 solo album, Earthling. Watt also toured with Eddie as a member of his solo backing band The Earthlings.

“You all get together as a group as we’ve been doing for 30-plus years and you say, ‘Let’s try it again,’” Vedder told the crowd from the Troubadour stage as he introduced the record as per the Associated Press. “No hyperbole, I think this is our best work.”

Watt and Pearl Jam recorded the forthcoming album at Rick Rubin’s famed Shangri-La in Malibu, California. “We made this record like a year ago,” Ament explained to the crowd of the band’s soon-to-be-announced new effort that’s ready to roll out. “We’ve been sitting on it.”

“It’s one of the greatest drum records we’ve ever made,” Vedder added. “Matt Cameron is just playing out of his skull, especially seeing as how it’s our last record.” The part about the “last record” was seemingly a joke and was met by a reaction that included both chuckles and jeers.

Mike McCready previously spoke highly of Cameron’s work on the 12th Pearl Jam studio album in multiple 2023 interviews. “Matt Cameron’s playing better than I’ve ever heard him in a long time,” McCready told Guitar World. “I mean, of course I’ve heard him with Soundgarden and of course he’s incredible and always has been. But he’s playing more like that now – he’s kinda loose. Andrew pushed him to play however he wanted to play. How Matt’s playing on this record has made it amazing in my mind.”

“The record’s gonna have some great examples of Matt Cameron’s drumming that just blew my mind,” the guitarist noted in a chat with SPIN. “He took it up about 10 notches for this new record, and it really is because of Andrew’s enthusiasm, and, again, him jumping up and down and saying ‘Try it again!’ and then saying ‘Oh, we got it!’ and on to the next thing.”

Stay tuned for a full announcement from Pearl Jam. SPIN’s report on the listening party also mentioned the band’s full touring plans will be revealed soon.