Dinosaur Jr.’s J Mascis shares new solo single, Set Me Down

Dinosaur Jr.’s J Mascis has unveiled a new solo single, Set Me Down.

The track is taken from J’s upcoming fifth solo album What Do We Do Now, which is due out on February 2, 2024 via Sub Pop. And as well as featuring some special guest musicians (including The B-52s’ Ken Mauri, and Matthew ‘Doc’ Dunn) the record hears the alternative rock legend going for ‘full drum and electric leads’ for the first time in his solo work, though the rhythm parts remain acoustic throughout.

“When I’m writing for the band, I’m always trying to think of doing things Lou and Murph would fit into,” he explains. “For myself, I’m thinking more about what I can do with just an acoustic guitar, even for the leads. Of course, this time, I added full drums and electric leads, although the rhythm parts are still all acoustic.

“Usually, I try to do the solo stuff more simply so I can play it by myself, but I really wanted to add the drums. Once that started, everything else just fell into place. So it ended up sounding a lot more like a band record. I dunno why I did that exactly, but it’s just what happened.”

Hear what he means by listening to new single Set Me Down below.

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