Indie rock stalwarts Spoon have returned from a brief break following their 2023 EP ‘Memory Dust’ with a new double A-side single, comprising the tracks ‘Chateau Blues' and ‘Guess I’m Fallin In Love’.

Throughout their 32-year history, Spoon have proven to be one of the most consistent and hard-working bands in the indie rock world, pumping out solid releases like ‘Kill The Moonlight’ and ‘Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga’, even taking time to experiment with production on albums like 2010's ‘Transference’. 

After releasing so much music between 2022 and 2023 (including a full-length album, a remix album, and two EPs), fans may have expected the band to take a few years off, much like the 5-year break between their albums ‘Hot Thoughts’ and ‘Lucifer on the Sofa’.

In a statement on Instagram from frontman Britt Daniels, however, it was announced that the band had already started work on a new record, and that these singles are the first taste of what they’ve been cooking up.

Neither song strays too far from what one might expect from a new Spoon single, but has that ever been a bad thing? Spoon is a great band that writes great songs, and these are great songs. ‘Chateau Blues’ is a lean, 3-minute blues-tinged rock jam with instrumental elements that feel pulled from classic White Stripes bangers. While the track doesn’t deviate much from standard Spoon fare, there’s still a lot of meat on these bones, with grimey guitars and a catchy hook.

‘Guess I’m Falllin In Love’ takes a little bit more time to unfurl itself. The track opens with the sound of a bell ringing out. Mixed with the uneasy guitar melody throughout the track, the track feels like the beginning of a biblical storm. As Daniels’ delivery becomes more unrestrained, weaving references to the Arabian Nights to the lyrics, lines like “There you are in the morning light / Looking down at me from above” during the third chorus, the track begins to feel cosmic and apocalyptic.

These two tracks prove one thing undeniably: Spoon don’t have to do anything new to be interesting; they just have to be Spoon. The simple act of hearing this group write songs in much the same way they have for 30 years still doesn’t get old, because it’s obvious that they still have a firm grasp on how to make good, interesting, and fun music. To go that length of time without a serious misstep or hiccup in quality is not just admirable, but downright impressive, and it looks like that new album will follow in that direction.