Photo by Jeff Fowler

“I’m not always sure what a song is ‘about’ when I’m writing it. I guess the meaning will present itself at some point. I’ll use whatever words work. And a lot of it will be influenced by whatever esoteric mumbo jumbo I’m reading at the time.” That’s as signature as a J Mascis pull quote gets, as the Dinosaur Jr. frontman has gone on the record to say about the lyrical context behind the indie guitar rock gods’ new single “Several Got Away”.

It’s kind of insane how he, Lou Barlow and Murph don’t seem to worry too much about overthinking the creative process beyond trying out new guitar toys and going off some broad advice — here, it’s Rick Rubin’s challenge to artists to get back to the sound of their first album — compared to the many, many artists who have dared follow in their big crunchy footsteps. And yet, what they do is so impossible to replicate.

That’s evidenced here in the tilt-a-whirl feedback pop explosion that certainly beckons back to the Amherst trio’s early years. Let’s not take the band’s presence in the modern day for granted either, as they’ve defied all age and logic by getting even better since their reunion (now already two decades ago, at this point…) simply by trusting their gut. For that reason, we should all welcome these big, instinctive jams forthcoming with the Amherst trio’s lucky 13th album, There Near.

Directed by: Guy Kozak

Dinosaur Jr.’s There Near will be released August 28th on Jagjaguwar.