Stephen Malkmus isn’t the only Pavement alum exploring new sounds on his new record. As heard on last month’s “HYP-NO-TIZED,” co-founder Scott Kannberg has lately been refining his sound under the name Spiral Stairs.

Today, he’s back with another new track from the upcoming We Wanna Be Hyp-No-Tized to get you ready for warmer weather. In contrast to the slipshod indie rock stylings Pavement pioneered in the ’90s, “The Fool” brings that classic sunny soul-rock sound that dominated in the ’70s into the present. Kannberg cites Van Morrison and Nick Lowe as inspiration for the direction of this upcoming LP. The Morrison inflection shines through most obviously with that half talk, half sing vocal style. It almost feels like a happier spin on the the La’s most popular track, “There She Goes,” which always reminds me of summer (and Gilmore Girls).

Here’s Kannberg with more details on how this cheery sound came to be:

To me, We Wanna Be Hyp-No-Tized feels like the records I’ve been listening to and the records I’ve been digging and aspire to sound like. In my early-twenties I felt like I knew everything — I always knew about new bands before everyone else — but that kind of closed off a lot of bands that I didn’t give much credence to, and now I’m a bit older and it’s, like, “Wow, how did I miss that?”

Listen to “The Fool” below.

TOUR DATES:
03/12 – 03/17 – Austin, TX @ SXSW
03/19 – Davenport, IA @ Racoon Motel
03/20 – Chicago, IL @ Hideout
03/21 – Minneapolis, MN @ 7th St. Entry
03/22 – Madison, WI  @ Kiki’s Righteous House of Music
03/23 – Detroit, MI  @ Third Man Records
03/24 – Toronto, ON CAN @ Horseshoe Tavern
03/26 – New York City, NY  @ Mercury Lounge
03/27 – Brooklyn, NY @ Brooklyn Brewery
03/28 – Allston, MA @ O’Briens
03/29 – Philadelphia, PA @ Ortlieb’s
03/30 – Chapel Hill, NC @ Cat’s Cradle
04/20 – Brisbane, AUS @ Stones Corner Pub
04/21 – Tallarook, AUS @ Boogie Festival
04/26 – Ballarat AUS @ The Eastern
04/27 – Melbourne, AUS @ The Toff
05/30 – Seattle, WA @ Hotel Albatross
06/01 – Portland, OR @ Alberta Street Pub
06/03 – Tuscon, AZ @ Hotel Congress
06/04 – Phoenix, AZ @ Rebel Lounge
06/05 – San Diego, CA @ Soda Bar
06/06 – Los Angeles, CA @ Bootleg Theater
06/07 – 06/08 – Sonoma, CA @ Huichica Festival
06/14 – Austin, TX  3TEN

We Wanna Be Hyp-No-Tized is out 3/22 on Nine Mile Records. Pre-order it here.