Listen to Blondie’s Epic New Song ‘Fragments’
Blondie have premiered "Fragments," the third pre-release track from their upcoming Pollinator LP.
The song, which you can stream via the above audio embed, finds the band covering an artist named an Unkindness, the alias adopted by Vancouver-based indie artist Adam Johnston. The original version, which you can find at YouTube, takes a spare, stripped-down approach to the arrangement — very different from the grander sonic sweep applied by Blondie in the band's nearly seven-minute take on the track.
"Fragments" follows the release of Pollinator's first single, "Fun," which debuted in February, and the Dev Hynes collaboration "Long Time," which arrived in late March. The album, due May 5, finds Blondie working with and borrowing from an array of younger artists — all a reflection of their eagerness to embrace the generations of musicians influenced by their groundbreaking classic hits.
"One thing I object to: When people stop going to clubs at a certain age and say there's no good music now. This always shocks me. There is so much good music," singer Deborah Harry argued during a recent interview with Harper's Bazaar. "In music the only thing that changes is the technology, but the artistic incorporation of that technology is a gradual building process."
Technology might be one of the few things that really changes in the music itself, but Harry is all too aware of the ways in which people's attitudes have evolved since she was a young artist — particularly pertaining to women's roles. "Nowadays the girls have proven themselves as entertainers, musicians, and writers," she added. "There are so many great female artists. Now it's become standard. It's no longer a boys club. Times do change."
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