The release of Lindsey Buckingham’s upcoming self-titled album – his first solo effort in a decade – is just over a fortnight away, and as such the former Fleetwood Mac guitarist has further fueled the proverbial hype train by releasing the album’s opening track, Scream.
Sitting comfortably within the sonic universe that has been constructed so far by his previous singles – I Don’t Mind and On The Wrong Side – Scream begins at a canter, before driving, unprocessed acoustic guitar drones, chime-y percussive stabs and delay-tinged vocal hooks up the ante.
Things unfurl into a gallop, with the track – described by Buckingham as a “celebration of an aspect of life” – layering on lead licks, pounding kick drums and an ever-present six-string passage that charges Scream towards the finish line.
“Everything on the record is me, for better or worse,” offered Buckingham. “Many of the songs on this album are about the work and discipline it takes in maintaining a long-term relationship.
“Some of them are more about the discipline,” he continued, “and some of them are more about the perks. Scream is about the perks.
“It felt very celebratory and it was also very, very simple and short. To the point. It didn’t evolve into some huge thing. It made its case and got the hell out.
“It just seemed like a good place to start the album, somehow. It’s very upbeat and very optimistic and very positive. It’s a celebration of an aspect of life."
Of the album itself, which promises to showcase Buckingham's "instinct for melody and his singular fingerpicking guitar style", the former Fleetwood Mac icon mused, “I wanted to make a pop album, but I also wanted to make stops along the way with songs that resemble art more than pop.
“As you age, hopefully you keep getting a little more grounded in the craft of what you’re doing. For me, getting older has probably helped to reinforce the innocence and idealism that hopefully was always there.”
The 10-track record will be released on September 17, and is available to preorder now in a number of physical and digital formats.
As well as preparing for the release of his solo album, Buckingham has also recently weighed in on his Fleetwood Mac legacy, telling the WTF With Marcon Maron podcast that “pretty much everyone would love to see me come back to Fleetwood Mac”.
