Pearl Jam releases new album "Dark Matter" today. A listening party was held last night at the Planetarium.

Pearl Jam's 12th studio album, Dark Matter, was released today, April 19, 2024.

On April 18 (Thursday), the day before the release date, a listening session for "Dark Matter" was held at the Cosmo Planetarium Shibuya. Since the title of the album is "Dark Matter," an unidentified substance that accounts for about a quarter of the average energy density of the universe, the audience listened to all the songs of the album while looking at the starry sky = universe projected on the planetarium. Participants commented on SNS, "It was a precious experience to be bombarded with the sound of explosions in the dark," "I never thought I would be able to listen to PJ's new album with such a large audience," and "If I could see Pearl Jam in the open air, I wonder if I would be able to see such a starry sky.

In addition, a video of the CD being opened was released to coincide with the release,

In conjunction, a visualizer of the entire album is available on Pearl Jam's YouTube channel.

Dark Matter," which band frontman Eddie Vedder says "I think this is our best work, no exaggeration," is the band's first new album since 2020's "Gigaton," and was produced by Andrew Watt (The Rolling Stones, Hackney Diamonds, Ozzy Osbourne, Iggy Pop, etc. / 63rd Grammy Award "Best Producer").

The preceding single, "Dark Matter," spent three consecutive weeks at No. 1 on the U.S. Mainstream Rock Airplay Chart (the first time a Pearl Jam song has been No. 1 on that chart since 1998) and No. 1 on the U.S. Rock & Alternative Airplay Chart.

The members of Pearl Jam have said this about "Dark Matter" in interviews with U.S. media.

I recommend listening to the album loud, really loud."(Eddie Vedder)

I've been doing this for 33 years and I'm proud to be this 12th child. On first listen, I want everyone to sit back, close their eyes, immerse themselves in the sounds and words, and listen with their own interpretation."(Jeff Amen)

It's an album where all of us, and Andrew too, were in the same room, looking at each other."(Mike McCready)

'I'm making art with a friend. I get excited about that. Collaboration and the state of being there playing a role in something that you can't control but that you have a role in is a fun place to play. I still enjoy playing like a kid."(Stone Gossard)

Andrew understands the importance of performing in the studio. That's the way I do it. So we had a really good working relationship from day one."(Matt Cameron)

The album packaging for "Dark Matter" is a light painting artwork by Alexandre Gnezilov. Light painting is a photographic art form in which images are created by adjusting the exposure of a camera for an extended period of time and using a flashlight or other light source to "paint" in the dark. The art for the album cover was created using a large kaleidoscope of my own making. Each letter was captured handwritten in the air with a specially designed flashlight to create a glossy effect.