Saint Pé – Spun and Spurn: Track Premiere

"The only thing you can't change is time," says Ian Saint Pé, "so it was time that changed me."

He's reflecting on the ten years he spent in Atlanta's notorious rabble-rousers Black Lips; a garage rock quartet par excellence, who've been raising hell across the globe since first forming in 1999. Saint Pé joined the band in 2004 and stuck around for a decade, playing on five albums including the band's must-hear 2007 opus Good Bad Not Evil. Eventually he felt the time was right for pastures new. "I loved the Black Lips," he says, "but I needed to enjoy new environments. So I got a brand new bag: Saint Pé." 

As it happens, that brand new bag is filled with a whole bunch of tricks: some recognisable (his way with a retro-pop hook remains intact) and some entirely out of the blue. One thing's for sure though: Fixed Focus, his debut album under the Saint Pé moniker is a fine piece of work. Recorded in a log cabin formerly owned by Roy 'king of country' Acuff, it's a collection of energetic, buzzing hooks polished with a delightful Nashville sheen. Need proof? We've got an exclusive track from the album for you to listen to – stream Spun and Spurn in the player below.

"As one gets older, Mother Earth's milk starts to go down less sweet," says Saint Pé of the track, cryptically. We'd just say it's another triumph from a man who, 13 years since we first made his acquaintance, should be well used to the feeling of victory.

Fixed Focus is out on 7 April via Ernest Jenning Record Co.