"Sweet Sister Sorrow" by The Primitives

Out today is a brand new Primitives single: or arguably two since "Sweet Sister Sorrow" is available in "Symphonic Dream Pop" format in addition to the standard one.

In addition, both of them will also appear on the forthcoming double album  ‘Let's Go Round again - Second Wave Singles And Rarities 2011 – 2025'

This of course opens the way for me to express my default Primitives review argument that since reconvening the band have been as good if not better since reconvening as before they took a career break. But what else can you say in the face of songs this good? It sets me up too for my other regular assertion that they have had a really long career & never produced a weak track.

One interesting thing about the band is although quite understandably seen as epitomising perfection in pop, their best songs (well in my opinion) seem all to incorporate some element of melancholy (even their biggest hit is a song of regret and warning). These all tend to boost the beauty of the tracks & make some hard listens on the heartbreak scale. Even apparently uplifting ones like the magnificent "(We've) Found a Way (to the Sun)" don't leave many dry eyes in concert.

As the title suggests, "Sweet Sister Sorrow" has this trademark duality of emotion & benefits from it. Delivered in classic Prims style in the first format, the band dive ever deeper into their experiments with just how much space they can inject into a song & just how ethereal the guitar & vocals can get while still coming out with a top pop song with bounce & melody. Like I say, the second wave just sees them refine their art more & more.

With the passing of Marianne Faithfull this week, it's tempting to imagine that the second version is a tribute to her early 60s work… I suppose given their penchant for covers of the era that it might be so, even if they didn't anticipate losing her just before release. It certainly evokes the sensibilities of that era though and was well worth making.

Presumably we'll get the first version live and it will without doubt become a popular addition to the setlist, even if another gem needs displacing to find room for it. Must be hard devising the programme when you have so many top options, but a good problem to have.