The Smashing Pumpkins reunite with Butch Vig for new single ‘Black Stars’

The band’s first collaboration with the producer since 1993’s Siamese Dream features on the soundtrack to The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping.

The Smashing Pumpkins have released ‘Black Stars’, a new single written for The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping soundtrack, bringing them back together with producer Butch Vig for the first time since 1993’s Siamese Dream.

Released on 16 October, the track features Billy Corgan, James Iha and Jimmy Chamberlin, with Vig joining the band for the recording. The song was originally developed while Corgan was working on solo material before the band was approached to contribute music to the forthcoming film. Recording took place at Chaplin Studios in Los Angeles, with additional sessions in Chicago.

Vig produced the Pumpkins’ 1991 debut Gish and Siamese Dream, the latter becoming one of the defining alternative rock albums of the 1990s. Their reunion on ‘Black Stars’ reconnects the band with a producer closely associated with that early period, although the new single was created specifically for the film rather than as part of a newly announced studio album.

The track appears on The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping (The Album), executive-produced by Dave Cobb and featuring 29 artists contributing original music inspired by the film. The soundtrack is due for release on 13 November, ahead of the film’s cinema release on 20 November.

The Smashing Pumpkins are currently touring North America on their Rats in a Cage tour, celebrating the 30th anniversary of Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness. ‘Black Stars’ has also been added to the live set.

Listen to The Smashing Pumpkins — Black Stars on Spotify on Spotify

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