As a member of Cincinnati’s underrated alternative-nation outfit the Ass Ponys, Chuck Cleaver was already an Ohio rock hero when he and Lisa Walker started Wussy about a decade ago. The latter band is now a cult favorite in its own right; from the first track on their first album, Walker and Cleaver have consistently conjured raw, mesmerizing vocal duets over straightforward rock ‘n’ roll that always seems to find new feelings in old sounds. They’re back this year with their sixth LP, Forever Sounds, and lead single “Dropping Houses” dropped yesterday. It’s a swaggering, bleary, distorted churn topped off by another virtuoso vocal duet from Walker and Cleaver. As Walker told Spin, “Our dorky dual fandom of 90’s shoegaze + tom petty has fully surfaced and become a really singable wall of noise.” Listen below.

Here are Walker’s full comments on the song:

“Dropping Houses” is a culmination of sounds we’ve been attempting to harness for a few years now. Our dorky dual fandom of 90’s shoegaze + tom petty has fully surfaced and become a really singable wall of noise. As for the lyrics..
Growing up in tornado alley makes the Wizard of Oz all the more fun and terrifying. I used to imagine what it would be like to fly in a house inside a giant storm.. Wondering what ordinary objects would fly by my windows and turn into monsters. Anyway, there’s a moment in your life when you have to stop being afraid of the witch, the storm, whatever it is. And this song celebrates that.
Cincinnati may be a far cry from Oz, but it has a magic all its own. Plus, it’s weird as f**k here. Instead of yellow brick roads, there are bizarro tiles laid in a few streets proclaiming “resurrection of the dead on planet Jupiter.” Sign me up, I guess.

Forever Sounds is out 3/4 on Shake It. Pre-order it here.