Eddie Vedder Releases ‘The Haves’ From New Solo Album ‘Earthling’
Pearl Jam frontman Eddie Vedder announced details of his new solo album Earthling and released the second single “The Haves.”
The song follows the launch of the song “Long Way” two months ago and comes ahead of the LP’s arrival on Feb. 11. The record is available for pre-order now. The lyric video for “The Haves” can be seen below.
The album was recorded by Vedder’s new band the Earthlings, which includes former Red Hot Chili Peppers member Josh Klinghoffer – a recent Pearl Jam recruit – and his ex-bandmate, RHCP drummer Chad Smith. The group also includes producer and guitarist Andrew Watt, known for his work with Ozzy Osbourne, among others.
The album came about when Vedder visited old friend Watt’s home studio in Los Angeles. “We just started messing around,” Watt told Variety of “Long Way." “There was something there right away that I wanted to chase and finish," he said. "It was just the right place and the right time and it all happened very organically. It sounds like people playing together in a room, which is what a good rock song should be.”
While Pearl Jam ended a three-year absence from the stage with a show in September, Vedder has kept himself busy by working on the soundtrack to the Sean Penn movie Flag Day, recording a cover of AC/DC's classic “Highway to Hell” with Tom Morello and Bruce Springsteen and appearing on Elton John’s The Lockdown Sessions LP.
Discussing his main band’s time away from the limelight after completing work on its latest album Gigaton, Vedder told The Bill Simmons Podcast: “We’re kind of reclusive by nature. So, in some ways it feels normal to be away from people, that’s not necessarily out of my wheelhouse. ... I just keep thinking that first time we’ll be in front of people – it’s even hard to imagine when or how – it’s going to be different. It’s not like we didn’t appreciate it before, it’s just even tenfold.”