When recording sessions began two years ago for Mercury Rev's eighth studio album, co-pilot Grasshopper described the upcoming album's sound as featuring “Steel Resonator Mandolin. Timpani. Sleigh Bells. All sorts of electric guitars…..” subsequently adding, “It is the best stuff we have done in a long, long time. Gonna be big sounding!” Now they cite Deserter's Songs as another influence, and while the jury's still out on how the rest of the new record will shape up, the first song off it, "The Queen of Swans", certainly bodes well. Have a listen.

It's all sugary guitars and bells, fragile chants and saccharine vocals. It's also the first to feature Jonathan Donahue and Grasshopper exclusively behind the controls; Studio wizard Dave Fridmann, it appears, is absent.

The Light In You is out September 18 courtesy of Bella Union. Preorder here. In promotion for the album, Mercury Rev will also embark on an extensive European tour this upcoming autumn, playing first in Tilburg's Incubate Festival September 18 and wrapping things up in London's Oval Space November 24.