By Jay Tilles
It’s no secret that Incubus has been working on a new album for a while; guitarist Mike Einziger has shared a number of in-studio clips on social media over the past few weeks. But what fans haven’t been privy to is the music itself. With nearly five years since their last album, [2011’s If Not Now, When?] there’s a lot of speculation about the direction their music will take this time around.
Related: Watch Breathtaking Footage of a Rocket Launch Set to Incubus
Lisa Worden, Music Director at Los Angeles alternative rock station, KROQ-FM [a Radio.com affiliate], has heard seven tracks from the album. Radio.com caught up with Worden to chat about her reaction to the new music.
“The first single, called ‘Nimble Bastard,’—which we’ll be world premiering February 16 on The Kevin & Bean Show—is a rocker,” says Worden enthusiastically. She describes the sound as “going back to their roots” with their signature fat bassline and harder guitars… “‘Pardon Me,’ to me, is kind of a medium tempo rock song. This is Megalomaniac,” she says referring to the band’s 20o4 hit. Speaking of the guitars, Worden says, “Einziger goes off! He’s got a really rad guitar solo right in the middle of the song.” And she notes that Brandon’s voice has never sounded better. “It starts with the vocal, which I love. It’s identifiable from the first second.”
Last week Mike Einziger posted some mysterious, and somewhat silly photos with Skrillex, which immediately created chatter among fans who wondered if this was just an innocent lunch date or something more formal like a musical collaboration with the EDM star. “Sonny [Moore, Skrillex] did have a hand in a song,” confirms Worden. “I may or may not have heard something… OK, it’s fricking fantastic!”
Of the more than half-dozen tracks Worden previewed, three stood out; The first single, “Nimble Bastard,” the second single, a medium tempo track with a pop sensibility,” and a third song that she describes as “the sexy Incubus.” “It’s slow, moody and vibey—it’s the kind of song where you’ll picture Brandon writhing around with a lot of girls in the video—super sexy.”
Although unconfirmed, signs are pointing to an April album release date and a summer headlining tour.