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Hear Superchunk’s Disarming, Acoustic Rendition of ‘Breaking Down’

superchunk, i hate music, breaking down, acoustic

Back in September, the organist for the Boston Red Sox snuck in a special treat for Superchunk fans: A Fenway Park-appropriate rendition of “Me & You & Jackie Mittoo,” a life-affirming highlight off of the indie-rock icons’ Essential 10th album, I Hate Music. Now, the Merge Records mascots have shared their own reworking of another tearjerker from the LP: “Breaking Down.” The original studio version draws its power from a chugging rhythm and shreddy guitar heroics, but Superchunk’s just-unveiled acoustic version puts new emphasis on frontman Mac McCaughan’s lyrics. A line like “The light keeps blinking and the sun keeps sinking / Let’s stay up here tonight / Yeah, we’ll live by the moonlight,” reveals its true strength when delivered over dreamy six-string strums. Listen below.

For an in-depth look at Superchunk, be sure to read SPIN’s outstanding feature, Merge Country: How Superchunk’s Label Turned Durham Into a Thriving Indie-Rock Company Town.