Ladies and gentlemen, the United States of Sound is holding court as judge, jury and executioner of rock. We've got the exclusive on Soundgarden's next single off their first album since 1996's Down on the Upside! Check out our interview with lead man Chris Cornell and drummer Matt Cameron to hear what we can expect from their upcoming album and what they've been up to the past 16 years.
A song for rock purists, "Non-State Actor" shows a tight, refreshed Soundgarden well-evolved from the previous millennium's incarnation, and just heavy enough to satisfy hardcore fans. But it's just a taste of what sonic acquisitions band members have gleaned over the many years since breaking up.
Lyrically, the track couldn't be more timely with the presidential elections coming next week. Cornell sings, "We're not elected / But we will speak / We're not the chosen / But we believe / And we settle for / A little bit more than everything." After 16 years of silence, the band isn't wasting a word, touching upon themes of poverty, war and a power greater than the government elect. Is that what a non-state actor could be?
After announcing their return in 2010, Soundgarden-heads have only (officially) heard the band's power-heavy recording "Live To Rise" for the 2012 film The Avengers, and the appropriately-titled single "Been Away Too Long" off their upcoming album. Surely with a very long-awaited reunion, fans can only hope to get "a little bit more than everything."
King Animal drops November 13. Bask in the glory of more new Soundgarden below!
For you lyrics freaks out there, here's the full lyric set for "Non-State Actor":
Coin in every pocket
More mouths to fill
So weak in the land
Strong in the will (need)
I'll be your beast of burden
I'll be the seed
I bring you the healer
Feel your disease
I bring dirty water
And make it clean (young)
And you are the cure
I am the drug
And we settle for
A little bit more than everything
We're not elected
But we will speak
We're not the chosen
But we believe
And we settle for a little bit more
Than everything
Bullets, guns and missiles
A stone and a sling
A motherless country
Of thee I sing (song)
You are the tank and rockets
I am the bomb
I teach you a lesson
Sword for a pen
Reading turn the pages
A history of man (look)
You are tabula rasa
I am the book
And we settle for a little bit more than everything
We're not elected
But we will speak
We're not the chosen
But we believe
And we settle for
A little bit more than everything
I'm a non-state actor
I'm a non-state actor
I'm a non-state
I'm a non-state actor
And we settle for a little bit more than everything
We're not elected but we will speak
We're not the chosen but we believe
And we settle for a little bit more than everything
A little bit more
A little bit more
A little bit more
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