Dark Matter (Pearl Jam album)

Dark Matter is the twelfth studio album by American rock band Pearl Jam, released on April 19, 2024, through Monkeywrench Records and Republic Records. Produced by Andrew Watt, the album was preceded by the singles "Dark Matter", "Running" and "Wreckage".

Recorded at Shangri-La in Malibu, California and Watt's home studio, the album is the first to feature contributions from touring and session member Josh Klinghoffer, who joined the band on its 2022–2023 Gigaton Tour. The album marked a return to the band working together as a five-piece in a fast-paced studio environment; in contrast to their previous studio album, Gigaton (2020), which was recorded over several years and individual sessions.

The album was released to widespread critical acclaim, and will be accompanied by a world tour.

Background and recording
After successfully working together on frontman Eddie Vedder's 2022 studio album, Earthling, record producer Andrew Watt was enlisted to produce Pearl Jam's twelfth studio album. The band's first recording sessions for Dark Matter took place in February 2021 at Watt's home studio, which yielded the first two tracks, "Scared of Fear" and "React, Respond".

The majority of Dark Matter was recorded over three weeks in 2023 at Shangri-La in Malibu, California and, according to a press release, "channels the shared spirit of a group of lifelong creative confidants and brothers in one room playing as if their very lives depended on it". On November 29, 2023, drummer Matt Cameron revealed that they finished a record with assistance from Andrew Watt and that it was "mastered, mixed, ready to go" at the time. On January 5, 2024, guitarist Mike McCready described the album as "a lot heavier" than one might expect, saying that recording was less time-consuming than for their previous record Gigaton, mostly thanks to the involvement from Watt, who was said to have "kicked [their] asses". Later that month, on January 31, the band and Watt debuted Dark Matter in front of a group of fans at the Troubadour in West Hollywood, California, without revealing lyrics or song titles. During the event, Eddie Vedder opined that this is their best work to date and how he could not be prouder of the band.

The album's packaging features light painting art by Alexandr Gnezdilov. The album cover art was crafted using a large self-made kaleidoscope. Each letter visible on the cover was individually captured and handwritten midair with a specially designed flashlight to create the pearlescent effect.

On February 13, Pearl Jam announced the album alongside the release of the title track as a lead single. The single was Consequence of Sound's album of the week.

Critical reception
According to the review aggregator Metacritic, Dark Matter received a weighted average score of 81 out of 100 from 17 critics. Ultimate Classic Rock said "With cutting lyrics and slicing riffs, Eddie Vedder and the band delivered their most satisfying album since the '90s." Uncut called it "a fretful and ferocious record, lyrically much preoccupied with things having ended or appearing about to end, but musically much more blaze of glory than any kind of funeral pyre".

Pitchfork's Zach Shonfeld offered measured praise of the album, stating that "Dark Matter plays like another solid late-era Pearl Jam record, reliable but not revelatory" and highlighted "Wreckage" and "Upper Hand", the latter of which he said "ranks among the best Pearl Jam songs this century". Shonfeld described "Waiting for Stevie" (which Vedder said in a Howard Stern interview had originated when he and Watt were idly waiting for Stevie Wonder to show up and record a harmonica part for Vedder's solo album Earthling) as a "meaty, anthemic rocker of the kind the band has largely shied away from this side of Y2K" that had "already become a favorite in the PJ fan community".

Commercial Performance
As of July 2024 the album has earned over 102,000 equivalent album units in the United States.

Tour
On February 13, 2024, Pearl Jam announced they would embark on a 2024 world tour in promotion of Dark Matter. On April 16, 2024, Pearl Jam made a promotional visualization "experience" in select movie theaters featuring the album being played in the dark with the album being played again in a visualization sequence, for one night only.

The 2024 world tour will unfold over four legs.

Personnel
Pearl Jam
 * Eddie Vedder – lead and backing vocals, guitar, piano
 * Mike McCready – guitar, piano
 * Stone Gossard – guitar
 * Jeff Ament – bass guitar, guitar, baritone guitar, backing vocals (on "Running")
 * Matt Cameron – drums, percussion

Additional musicians
 * Andrew Watt – guitar, piano, keyboards, backing vocals (on "Running")
 * Josh Klinghoffer – piano, keyboards, guitar
 * Mark Davis – backing vocals (on "Running")

Production personnel
 * Bryce Bordone – mix engineering, mixing assistance
 * John Burton – additional engineering
 * Matt Colton – mastering
 * Chelsea Fodero – production coordination
 * Serban Ghenea – mixing
 * Paul LaMalfa – engineering
 * Marco Sonzini – engineering
 * Tommy Turner – engineering assistance
 * Marc VanGool – guitar technician, studio assistance
 * Andrew Watt – producer
 * Gregg White – engineering assistanece