Last year, Beach Slang leader James Alex adopted the moniker Quiet Slang to release We Were Babies & We Were Dirtbags, an EP that reworked the band’s beery punk-rock anthems into lovely orchestral pop music. This year, he’s coming back for more. Alex is releasing Everything Matters But No One Is Listening, his debut full-length under the name Quiet Slang, in May, and today he’s sharing its lead single, an updated version of “Dirty Cigarettes.”

Alex enlisted longtime co-producer Dave Downham, cellist Dan Delaney, pianist Keith Giosa, Stacey Downham, Matt Weber, Charlie Lowe, and New Jersey quartet/”back alley choir” the Warhawks to work on the project, and on “Dirty Cigarettes,” their efforts result in a meditative chamber-pop gem that brings out the heartfelt emotion in Alex’s weathered rasp. The song comes with a video directed by Jason Lester that features Mynabirds’ Laura Burhenn and of Montreal/Elephant 6’s Heather McIntosh, and this is what Alex has to say about it:

You can be born into damage, into being forgotten. That stuff sticks with you, you know? You sort of just swirl around, looking for something that makes you feel like you might matter. Sometimes you get lucky and that feeling shows up. Other times, it’s tougher. “Dirty Cigarettes” was filmed in an empty church reception hall the day after a wedding — a strange mix of love and loneliness. Something about that felt right. Anyway, Laura, Heather and I played the song a handful of times while Jason held a camera and Charlie made me feel less awkward. And for an afternoon, I felt like I could stop looking.

Watch and listen below.

Beach Slang tour dates:

03/14: Official SXSW Showcase @ St. David’s Historic Sanctuary, 11pm
*Quiet Slang Debut Show*
03/15 Pandora at SXSW @ The Gatsby, 11:20pm
03/20 Houston, TX @ House of Blues ^
03/21 Dallas, TX @ House of Blues ^
03/23 Atlanta, GA @ Buckhead Theatre ^
03/24 St. Petersburg, FL @ Jannus Live ^
03/25 Orlando, FL @ House of Blues ^
03/26 Raleigh, NC @ The Ritz ^
03/27 Charlotte, NC @ The Fillmore Charlotte ^
03/29 Brooklyn, NY @ Brooklyn Steel ^
03/30 Boston, MA @ House of Blues ^
03/31 Silver Spring, MD @ The Fillmore Silver Spring ^
04/02 Asbury Park, NJ @ The Stone Pony ^
04/03 Cleveland, OH @ House of Blues ^
04/04 Cincinnati, OH @ Bogart’s ^
04/05 Detroit, MI @ St. Andrew’s Hall ^
04/06 Grand Rapids, MI @ 20 Monroe Live ^
04/07 Louisville, KY @ Mercury Ballroom ^
04/08 Lawrence, KS @ The Granada Theater ^
04/09 Denver, CO @ Summit Music Hall ^
04/11 Salt Lake City, UT @ The Complex ^
04/13 Portland, OR @ Roseland Theater ^
04/14 Seattle, WA @ The Showbox ^
04/16 Sacramento, CA @ Ace of Spades ^
04/17 San Francisco, CA @ The Fillmore ^
04/18 San Diego, CA @ House of Blues ^
04/20 Anaheim, CA @ House of Blues ^
04/21 Hollywood, CA @ Hollywood Palladium ^

^ w/ Dashboard Confessional

Everything Matters But No One Is Listening is out 5/18 on Polyvinyl. Pre-order it here.

CREDIT: Charlie Lowe