Pearl Jam are asking their fans to dial long distance (assuming they don’t live in Rochester, New York) to get a taste of their upcoming album, Gigaton, out this week. Fans can call 585-20-PEARL (585-207-3275) for the chance to hear songs beyond “Dance of the Clairvoyants” and “Superblood Wolfmoon.”
Those who dial in hear the following message, delivered in a classic telemarketer voice: “Hello, you’ve reached the Pearl Jam Gigaton hotline. Press 1 to leave a message. Press 2 to opt in to receive updates from the band and preview the new album before it’s out on March 27th.”
In January, guitarist Stone Gossard said the album reflected “a new way of configuring our sort of collaborative talents” in an interview with Apple Music. “There’s definitely some really straight-ahead rock songs,” he said. “There are some very spare and very simple ballads. It’s got it all, I think. And it’s really us. We really did it by ourselves. … And [Eddie Vedder] did such a great job of bringing everybody’s personalities out. It was probably different than any of us would’ve made individually, but it really captures, I think, the spirit of the band.”
The band was supposed to mark the LP’s release with a North American tour but decided to postpone it due to the coronavirus pandemic.
“We’ve worked hard with all our management and business associates to find other solutions or options, but the levels of risk to our audience and their communities is simply too high for our comfort level,” the band wrote in a statement earlier this month. “Add to that, we also have a unique group of passionate fans who travel far and wide. We’ve always been humbled by this and respect their energies and devotion. However, in this case, travel is something to avoid.” They made the decision before President Trump’s ban on travel to and from Europe, and at the time the band added, “Having no examples of our national health department’s ability to get ahead of this, we have no reason to believe that it will be under control in the coming weeks ahead.”
The band’s next scheduled performance is set to take place on June 23rd in Frankfurt.
The group also postponed a theatrical “listening experience” it had planned for the album. “We are working closely with all of our exhibitors around the world to quickly reschedule these events as soon as possible,” the band wrote on its website.
