Listen: neil young and the chrome hearts Unveil Debut Single “big change” 

Photo Credit: Bill Kelly

Neil Young has shared, “big change,” his first song with the Chrome Hearts. Young’s debut offering with his new backing ensemble is a hard-hitting cathartic blast, steering into a rough and resonant sound to capture a familiar sense of foreboding times. Complimented by its all lowercase stylization, the release represents another left turn in the career of an artist who tirelessly unsettles expectations to suit the signs of the times. “big change” is available on all streaming platforms now.

“big change” is the first sample of Young’s studio sound alongside his reformed backing quintet of guitarist Micah Nelson (a.k.a. Particle Kid), bassist Corey McCormick, drummer Anthony Logerfo and organist Spooner Oldham, which made its debut at Farm Aid last year. Production duties were shared by Young and Lou Alder, and the track was set to tape at Rick Rubin’s Shangri-La studio in Malibu, Calif. In a press release, Young’s longtime engineer Jason Hanlon described the offering as an “in your face loud irreverent rock’n’roll paint splatter on the canvas in the vein of a Jackson Pollack painting.”

By Hanlon’s assessment, neil young and the chrome hearts’ “big change” is ““classic Neil Young for these new ages.” While Young has not shared any tour dates or album plans for his new band, the group will deliver a headline performance at Glastonbury this summer, after briefly bowing out due to a misunderstanding. Read about that moment, which also might be characterized as classic Neil Young for these new ages, here.

Watch the official music video for “big change” below.