Every once in a while, the North Carolina indie greats Superchunk will get together and do something special for Halloween. Mostly, that means Misfits covers, and that’s always a fun thing to do. (In years past, Superchunk have taken on “Horror Business,” “Where Eagles Dare,” and “Children In Heat.”) This year, though, Superchunk are doing something different, though they’re making sure to keep things spooky.

Today, Superchunk have come out ripping with a new two-song single. The first of those songs is called “There’s A Ghost,” and it’s a big, bright, melodic jam — the kind of thing that nobody does better than this particular band. For a great many of us, hearing Mac McCaughan yelping and whoa-oohing over big, pogo-ready riffage is a comforting experience, and “There’s A Ghost” fits the bill. But this is just a great song, and it would be great even if it was coming from a brand-new band. It’s the first new Superchunk song since they finished up the album cycle for 2018’s What A Time To Be Alive. I hope we get more soon.

For the B-side, Superchunk have departed from the Misfits-cover tradition, instead taking on the Sisters Of Mercy’s classic 1982 goth-rock throb “Alice.” It’s a kick to hear this extremely human band playing a song that’s as robotic and vampiric as this one. But Superchunk go for it, with Jon Wurster even going out of his way to replicate the drum-machine sparseness of the original. The riff still crushes, too. Check out “There’s A Ghost” and “Alice” below.

In a press release, McCaughan says:

I didn’t write a song for probably the first 6 months of the lockdown. This is one of the first, and it came just in time for Halloween. Jim and Jon came over with their masks on, and Laura tracked her bass in her bass-ment. Try and get some fresh air when you can, people!

“There’s A Ghost” b/w “Alice” is out now on Merge.