This week’s Alternative Number Ones column is about Belly’s “Feed The Tree,” an excellent song by an excellent band fronted by Tanya Donelly. Before that song came out in 1993, Donelly also co-founded another excellent band called Throwing Muses with her stepsister Kristin Hersh. Donelly is a little less involved in the music world these days, but luckily for us, Hersh is keeping Throwing Muses going strong. In a great moment of music-blogging coincidence, Throwing Muses have announced the release date for their new album today, and shared the new single “Summer Of Love.”

Moonlight Concessions, the first Throwing Muses LP since 2020’s Sun Racket, is out in March and billed as a “back to basics” record for the ’80s and ’90s stalwarts. Like the November single “Drugstore Drastic” that also appears on the album, “Summer Of Love” has a brooding power-pop sound, embellished with some eerie baroque elements. According to a press release, the song “began as a bet with a guy for a dollar that revolved around the idea that the seasons don’t change us.” Evidently, Hersh lost that bet: “Finally life as it should be/ I owe you a buck,” she sings as violins layer over her strumming guitar. Watch the music video for “Summer Of Love” and see the full tracklist for Midnight Concessions below.

TRACKLIST:
01 “Summer Of Love”
02 “South Coast”
03 “Theremini”
04 “Libretto”
05 “Albatross”
06 “Sally’s Beauty”
07 “Drugstore Drastic”
08 “You’re Clouds”
09 “Moonlight Concessions”

Moonlight Concessions is out 3/14 via Fire.