Guided by Voices Unveil New Album ‘Crawlspace of the Pantheon’ with “We Outlast Them All”
Guided by Voices, photo by Sandlin Gaither
Guided by Voices have announced yet another studio album, Crawlspace of the Pantheon. Less than four months after the release of Thick, Rich & Delicious, Robert Pollard’s long-running lo-fi rock project is moving on to its 44th full-length offering, set to arrive on May 29 via the GBV Inc Records imprint. To preview the project, Pollard and company have shared the preview single “We Outlast Them All,” which rings true.
“The entire song, the music, and melody was written all the way through in one take,” Pollard said of the lead single to Rolling Stone. “Could be our ‘We Are the Champions,’ but it’s not necessarily about us. It could be about any couple or group of people or organization that perseveres over a long period of time. If it is referring to us, it’s actually somewhat self-deprecating as the goal is simply to ‘seek to occupy the crawlspace of the pantheon.’”
Every time GBV share a new project, it’s easy enough to forgo real engagement by just gesturing to the scale of their catalog and the signature brand of rough and ready, slouching and brilliant power pop that Pollard has pioneered with rotating collaborators since 1983. But we’re missing the trees for the forest: “We Outlast Them All” is a resounding testament to the band’s enduring spark. The grand, exultant chorus, hoisted by blaring siren strums and pounding, unpredictable rudiments, is familiar without leaning on nostalgia. At just shy of four and a half minutes, it’s longer than any track on either of their 2025 albums, giving the quintet some space to stretch out thematically.
“I worked much more diligently on this set of lyrics,” Pollard shared. I chiseled away at lines and sections to make sure the phrasings were totally acceptable. I wanted them to have an overall emotionally conceptual feel. At times it feels somewhat autobiographical… ‘Out With a Theory’ is almost the ballad of the history of Guided by Voices, namely the early- to mid-period lineups.”
Crawlspace of the Pantheon is available to pre-order and pre-save now. Listen to “We Outlast Them All” below, and read on for the full tracklist.
Crawlspace of the Pantheon – Guided by Voices:
- Lost in the Sun
- Out With a Theory
- One Last Blow
- We Outlast Them All
- A Grand Ceremonial Jester
- Dagon’s Plunger
- Advance Without Dropping
- No Shoe Fits (Floating Babies)
- Arthur Square
- Landscaping
- (How Would You Like a) Chariot Ride
- When You’re My Clown (Nothing Happens)
