Sleigh Bells Nod to the Smiths (Sorta) on ‘I Can Only Stare’

Derek Miller and Alexis Krauss of Sleigh Bells are putting the finishing touches on their new album, Jessica Rabbit, due out November 11. So far, they've shared three tracks off the record: “Hyper Dark,” “Rule Number One” and “It’s Just Us Now,” the last of which was accompanied by one of 2016's moodiest music videos. Today, they took to Zane Lowe's Beats 1 show to let go of another one: "I Can Only Stare." The stomping, soulful track (which Miller told Lowe is his favorite cut on Jessica Rabbit) finds Sleigh Bells in stadium mode, with some of Krauss' most massive-sounding vocals to date. Listen to it below.

Considering the song's R&B tilt, Miller's admission to Lowe that "I Can Only Stare" was actually inspired by the Smiths may come as a bit of a surprise; Miller's hefty fretwork is well divorced from Johnny Marr's jangly strut, and Krauss' powerful delivery is more reminiscent of Mariah than Morrissey. But rather than adopt the Brits' sonic template, Sleigh Bells nod to their hopeless romanticism, framing the torch song as a paean to love at its most obsessive, perhaps even a tad voyeuristic — you know, crushing hard. We've all been there.

Jessica Rabbit is out November 11 via Sleigh Bells' Torn Clean label, in partnership with Sinderlyn.

SLEIGH BELLS JESSICA RABBIT TRACK LIST
1. “It's Just Us Now”
2. “Torn Clean”
3. “Lightning Turns Sawdust Gold”
4. “I Can't Stand You Anymore”
5. “Crucible”
6. “Loyal For”
7. “I Can Only Stare”
8. “Throw Me Down the Stairs”
9. “Unlimited Dark Paths”
10. “I Know Not to Count on You”
11. “Rule Number One”
12. “Baptism by Fire”
13. “Hyper Dark”
14. “As If”

SLEIGH BELLS on TOUR
Nov. 11 — San Diego, CA @ Observatory North Park
Nov. 12-13 — Los Angeles, CA @ Camp Flog Gnaw Carnival
Nov. 15-16 — San Francisco, CA @ The Independent
Nov. 18 — Portland, OR @ Wonder Ballroom
Nov. 19 — Seattle, WA @ Neumos