Belle & Sebastian just can’t stop. A year after their twelfth studio album Late Developers, they’re gearing up for an international tour next week, and they’ve shared a new single that was left off the album: “What Happened To You, Son?”
It’s a quick, funny track grounded by a grooving bassline that calls to mind the dancier side of jangle-pop bands like The Smiths. The lyrics see frontman Stewart Murdoch lamenting a nameless rockstar who’s fallen from grace in their later years. From any other band, it might come off as uncomfortably self-conscious, but on this track, Belle & Sebastian prove that thirty years into their career, even the stuff that gets cut from the album is pure indie-pop gold.
Belle and Sebastian come to Philadelphia’s Union Transfer next Friday. The Weather Station opens. Check the WXPN Concerts and Events page for tickets.