Smashing Pumpkins were incredibly productive during the pandemic. Since March 2020, the band has released the 20-track album Cyr in November 2020. Last week, they released the 33-track Atum: A Rock Opera in Three Acts. Believe it or not, the Smashing Pumpkins recorded even more music that has yet to be released, including a Christmas album.
Drummer Jimmy Chamberlin shared recently he and Billy Corgan recorded nearly 80 songs during the pandemic. He noted, “So, we did the ‘Cyr’ record. We had a psychedelic record that we had on a back burner that we never got to. We recorded that. We did a Christmas record that we’d never gotten to, and then we did the three, the ‘ATUM,’ the 33 song, which was the capper. I was like, ‘Oh my God, please let it be over. Right?’
Despite the sound of that last quote, Chamberlin mentioned how fortunate he and Corgan were to have so much time to make all of that music. He said, ” … You don’t get those big blocks of time anymore. You’re always either on tour … you’re being pulled in a million different directions.”
Whether or not that Christmas album with see the light of day is anyone’s guess, but it seems like a waste to just keep it on the shelf.
Smashing Pumpkins, however, won’t be on a metaphorical shelf for long. They’ll be heading out on tour this summer beginning July 28 in Las Vegas. Complete details can be found at SmashingPumpkins.com.