James Mercer and Danger Mouse are once again collaborating as Broken Bells, and the duo have shared the first full track from their upcoming sophomore album, After the Disco. “Holding on for Life” looks to stretch 2013’s glitz-and-glamour revival (see: Daft Punk, Arcade Fire) into the new year, floating a lightweight falsetto over a slow-ripple groove and air-brushing the whole vehicle with sparkling sonics. The just-unveiled track first surfaced as a snippet in the teaser trailer for After the Disco, and since then Mercer and Mouse have shared the first part of a short film that will accompany the LP (starring actress Kate Mara and actor Anton Yelchin), and announced the full-length’s release date: January 14 via Columbia.
Speaking to NPR about producing the new album, Danger Mouse (a.k.a. Brian Burton), said, “I think as far as this record is concerned, it is really kind of all-in-one. We just did everything together… You can’t really separate [us], because [we were] writing and recording at the same time. One thing would definitely lead to the next when it came to either a melody or a sound or the tempo — any of that stuff would change the other things. So, it was very wrapped in together. It definitely wouldn’t be what people think of as a traditional way of producing.”
For a peek at the follow-up to Broken Bells’ self-titled 2010 debut, stream the Bee Gees-esque “Holding on for Life” below. And be sure to check out SPIN’s recent features The 30 Best Disco Songs That Every Millennial Should Know and Inorganic at the Disco: 40 Rock Bands Who Beat Arcade Fire to the Dance Floor.
