Belle and Sebastian Share New Single, “Young and Stupid”

Glasgow indie institution Belle and Sebastian are gearing up to release their first full-length album in seven years, A Bit of Previous, out May 6 on Matador. Last month, they shared two singles from the record, “Unnecessary Drama” and “If They’re Shooting At You,” and now, they’ve shared a third single, “Young and Stupid.” The song arrives with a lyric video that doubles as a slideshow of a collective family photo album, featuring a selection of the band members’ childhood pictures compiled by Fiona Morrison and edited together by Sabrina Nichols.

As the title and that video premise suggest, the track reminisces on the band’s early days, looking back as they prepare to enter their third decade together. “There’s an easy start to things / There’s the thrill that beauty brings / Glued together at the hips / Stuck together at the lips,” frontman Stuart Murdoch muses about his youth over bouncy acoustic guitars and a resonant string line before the song unfolds into an airy bridge of voices that recall a children’s choir. The track feels like the band’s “In My Life,” serving as a fond look back at successes and regrets before they all move forward for good.

“We did it together, us and the city,” Murdoch said of the recording process for A Bit of Previous in a statement. “This record was the first ‘full’ LP recording for B&S in Glasgow since Fold Your Hands Child, 1999. We clocked in every morning, we played our songs, we wrote together, we tried new things, we took the proverbial lump of clay, and we threw it every day.”