New York City’s Wild Pink are back with the latest single from their forthcoming album ILYSM, coming Oct. 14 on Royal Mountain Records—and they brought a friend. Dinosaur Jr. guitar wizard J Mascis is featured on “See You Better Now,” our third preview of John Ross and company’s LP4 after the title track and “Hold My Hand.”
”‘See You Better Now’ is the most straightforward love song on the album and definitely inspired by Tom Petty and Traveling Wilburys,” Ross explains in a statement. “It was one of the last songs I wrote for this album and a really fun song to record in the studio. It’s still wild to me that J Mascis did the guitar solo on it.”
Those Petty influences are unmistakable on the single itself, with bright, major-key acoustic chords and cheery piano up front. Ross’ murmured vocals paint a portrait, each detail of his beloved a brushstroke: “Making whole worlds / From the misheard words / Of all the songs you loved / But never bothered to learn,” he murmurs over organ backing before launching into the track’s pedal steel-accented chorus. “I see you / See you better now,” Ross and Ratboys’ Julia Steiner sing, eventually giving way to Mascis’ joyfully eruptive solos. The song cuts off mid-bent note, a jarring end that will surely translate better in the context of the album, where it’s followed by “Sucking on the Birdshot.”
ILYSM follows Wild Pink’s acclaimed 2021 album A Billion Little Lights, and features not only Mascis and Steiner, but also Julien Baker, Ryley Walker, Yasmin Williams and Samantha Crain. Co-produced by Ross, Justin Pizzoferrato (Pixies, Body/Head, Speedy Ortiz) and Peter Silberman of The Antlers, the album reckons with Ross’ battle with cancer, as memorably seen on the band’s duet with Baker, the aforementioned “Hold My Hand,” which we hailed among August’s best tracks.
Listen to “See You Better Now” below, plus a 2018 Wild Pink session from the Paste archives, and see their upcoming tour dates further down.
Wild Pink Tour Dates:
October
12 – Boston, MA @ The Middle East (Upstairs)*
13 – Portland, ME @ Sun Tiki Studios*
14 – Brooklyn, NY @ Brooklyn Made*
15 – Philadelphia, PA @ Johnny Brendas*
16 – Washington, DC @ DC9*
17 – Pittsburgh, PA @ Spirit Hall*
18 – Toronto, ON @ The Drake*
20 – Montreal, QC @ L’escogriffe*
21 – Burlington, VT @ Foam Brewery*
November
08 – Amsterdam, NL @ Paradiso
09 – Brighton, UK @ The Hope & Ruin
10 – Bristol, UK @ The Exchange
11 – London, UK @ Pitchfork Festival London
12 – Manchester, UK @ Yes Basement
13 – Glasgow, UK @ The Hug & Pint
14 – Dublin, IE @ The Workmans Cellar
16 – Paris, FR @ Supersonic
17 – Luzern, CH @ Schuur
18 – Prague, CZ @ Cafe V Lese
19 – Berlin, DE @ Marie Antoinette
20 – Copenhagen, DK @ Rahuset
21 – Hamburg, DE @ Aalhaus
22 – Munster, DE @ Pension Schmidt
25 – Kingston, NY @ Tubby’s*
26 – Syracuse, NY @ Funk N Waffles*
27 – Detroit, MI @ Loving Touch*
28 – Chicago, IL @ Sleeping Village*
29 – Minneapolis, MN @ 7Th Street*
30 – Omaha, NE @ Reverb Lounge*
December
01 – Denver, CO @ Globe Hall*
02 – Salt Lake City, UT @ Kilby Court*
03 – Boise, ID @ The Shredder*
04 – Spokane, WA @ Lucky You Lounge*
05 – Seattle, WA @ Barboza*
07 – Portland, OR @ Mississippi Studios*
09 – San Francisco, CA @ Bottom Of The Hill*
10 – Los Angeles, CA @ The Airliner*
11 – San Diego, CA @ Soda Bar*
12 – Phoenix, AZ @ Valley Bar*
14 – Austin, TX @ Mohawk*
15 – Dallas, TX @ Three Links*
16 – Memphis, TN @ Growlers*
17 – Nashville, TN @ The Basement
(* – w/ Trace Mountains)
