The Pretenders have released “A Love,” the latest single from their upcoming album Relentless.
“I’m not scared of you / I’m scared of me right here / I’m scared of taking stuff / I give up every year,” frontwoman Chrissie Hynde croons in the song’s opening line, her voice rising over a warm rock lilt.
“A Love,” which you can listen to below, harkens to the Pretenders’ classic tracks, something Hynde openly admitted.
“I suppose ‘A Love’ is the most traditionally Pretenders-sounding song on the album, in the vein of ‘Kid’ or ‘Talk of the Town’ or any of the midtempo ones over the years,” Hynde explained in a press release accompanying the song.
“I often see love/relationships almost in the same vein as drug addiction,” the singer continued. “Although, having said that, I know I am jaded, and cynical.”
“A Love” follows “I Think About You Daily” and “Let the Sun Come In,” marking the third song released from Relentless.
“I enjoy seeing the various meanings and origins of a word,” Hynde previously explained of the album’s title. “And I liked the definition: ‘Showing no abatement of intensity.’ It’s the life of the artist. You never retire. You become relentless.”
Relentless was produced by David Wrench (David Byrne, Glass Animals, Frank Ocean) and features contributions from a wide range of artists, including Radiohead’s Jonny Greenwood and Foo Fighters’ Dave Grohl.
Relentless comes out Sept. 15. Meanwhile, the Pretenders will perform a series of shows with Guns N’ Roses in August, followed by a handful of intimate headlining performances in various U.S. cities.
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