Earlier this year, our column The Alternative Number ones covered the great 1996 Eels song “Novocaine For The Soul.” At least in the US, that was the only big hit that Eels ever made. But band mastermind Mark Oliver Everett, aka E, has kept the project going ever since then, amassing a huge discography of lush, downcast, personal pop music. Everett is the subject of a new Judd Apatow-produced documentary, and now he’s got another new album on the way, too.
Later this year, Eels will follow their 2024 LP Eels Time! with a new one called Cookie Happened. The title is apparently something that the Cookie Monster once said, which is fun. Also, the cover art is a neon green skeleton dunking a basketball, and that’s objectively pretty sick. Everett wrote and produced lead single “Cap In Hand,” a clean and softly propulsive number. Over a sprightly little bassline and some light orchestration, Mark Oliver Everett identifies himself as “a broken man who’s picking up the pieces.” Here’s what he has to say about the album:
All of this will be forgotten. Every joy, accomplishment and hardship will one day become so irrelevant it will be as if none of it occurred. But as the great philosopher of our times, Cookie Monster, once said: “Me no cry because cookie is finished. Me smile because cookie happened.” This will all be forgotten. But isn’t it still a beautiful thing that it happened?
And about the single:
I wanted to sound kind of worn out for this one, too, like someone who’s messed up their life but now sees the error of their ways and is trying to make amends with their tail between their legs. You know how record companies are: “We don’t care what you give us, just make sure you sound defeated on the first two tracks!”
Below, check out “Cap In Hand” and the Cookie Happened tracklist.
TRACKLIST:
01 “Clobbered”
02 “Cap In Hand”
03 “All Forgotten”
04 “Bamboozled Again”
05 “Lost And Barking”
06 “Taking Pictures”
07 “New Story”
08 “Congratulations To Me”
09 “One Razzle, One Dazzle”
10 “I’m On Standby”
11 “Dum Dums”
12 “The Way I Was Made”
Cookie Happened is out 10/16 on E Works/Play It Again Sam. Pre-order it here.
‘ The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties ’
‘ Some details of this article were extracted from the following source stereogum.com ’
