The New Pornographers have released another single, “The Surprise Knock.” The track is lifted of their forthcoming release The Morse Code Of Brake Lights, available September 27 via the band’s imprint Collected Work Records in partnership with Concord Records. The single follows “Following Down The Stairs Of Your Smile.” The New Pornographers play their next show on September 19th in Woodstock, NY.

AC Newman on “The Surprise Knock”

“‘The Surprise Knock’ had a different feel when we first recorded it—and I wouldn’t mind releasing that version at some point. But as I was listening to it, I thought, ‘Why don’t we play this song like New Pornographers 2005?’ Then we just replayed it with that feel. I thought enough time has passed that I feel like I can play songs that sort of sound like a classic a sound and not feel like I’m repeating myself, because it’s been so long. That was definitely a part of it: just wanting to…I hate to say ‘get back,’ but just get more slightly raucous and sounding more like a band.”

I was about two-thirds of the way through the record when I began to notice that lyrically so much of it was pointing toward car songs,” notes Newman. “The opening track is ‘You’ll Need a Backseat Driver,’ and that was a metaphor that seemed to be running through other songs, too. Next to the love song, I feel like the car song is one of the most iconic kinds of songs in pop music, from Chuck Berry to the present. There was so much of that throughout it that I started thinking: ‘Oh, no, there’s too many references to cars on this record!’ And then I thought, ‘No, that’s good—people might think it’s a concept album.’”

The New Pornographers
Live

September 19
Woodstock, NY
Levon Helm Studios
September 27
Madison, WI
Majestic Theatre
September 28
Urbana, IL
Pygmalion Music Festival
September 29
Columbia, MO
Roots N Blues N BBQ Festival
October 1
Minneapolis, MN
First Avenue
October 2
Chicago, IL
Vic Theatre
October 3
Detroit, MI
Majestic Theatre
November 4
Boston, MA
Royale
November 5
Washington, DC
9:30 Club
November 7
Brooklyn, NY
Brooklyn Steel
November 8
Philadelphia, PA
Union Transfer
November 10
Raleigh, NC
Lincoln Theatre
November 11
Asheville, NC
The Orange Peel
November 12
Atlanta, GA
Variety Playhouse