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Hear the Yeah Yeah Yeahs’ Groovy ‘Mosquito’ Epic ‘Sacrilege’

Yeah Yeah Yeahs / Photo by Dan Martensen / KK Barrett

Yeah Yeah Yeahs’ first Mosquito single is here, and it’s a “Like a Prayer”-style spine-tingler featuring — yes — a 24-piece choir. SPIN is extremely psyched to bring you the U.S. premiere of the New York trio’s first track off their April 16 album. The song, which was produced by David Andrew Sitek and Nick Launay, recalls the drama of Karen O’s “psycho opera” Stop the Virgens with a solid throwback groove, keys by longtime Beastie Boys collaborator Money Mark (who appeared in the Virgens band), and a hauntingly intense vocal from the trio’s gifted frontwoman.

When Karen O, Nick Zinner, and Brian Chase announced the new LP, Karen O explained the new album is meant to stir up emotions. “We would love for this music to make our fans feel something, for it to stir some shit up inside of them, whatever that may be,” she said. “So much feeling went into this record, it was the rope ladder thrown down into the ditch for us to climb up and dust ourselves off.” If you don’t feel something at the 2:21 mark when the gospel hits, we’re not sure you ever will.

Beomsik Shimbe Shim, who designed Mosquito‘s divisive album cover, also handled the single artwork (below) — is this a can of flaming bug repellent, a bodega candle, or a molotov cocktail? (Or all three?) Either way, there’s a reason this band’s on our list of rock’s longest winning streaks, and Zinner is one of our Greatest Guitarists of All Time.

Here’s everything else we know about the YYYs’ fourth full-length album.