It’s been a little while since we’ve heard from Arkells, but they’ve put the months since the release of 2011’s Michigan Left to good use, as evidenced by their upcoming third LP’s leadoff single, “Never Thought That This Would Happen.”

This song is like one of those clubs that Bill Hader’s Stefon character used to talk about during his appearance on SNL‘s Weekend Update — it’s got it all: Harpsichordish keys, reverse reverb, high, tight harmonies, strings, laugh-out-loud-clever lyrics (but not too clever for an “ooh ooh ooh ooh” every now and then), 20 Feet from Stardom-worthy backing vocals, and perhaps most importantly, a big, fat chorus you can sink your teeth into, preferably while driving with the top (or at least the windows) down and the pedal to the floor.

The new Arkells record is due in August. After listening to “Never Thought That This Would Happen” a few dozen times, I kind of can’t wait. See/hear what you think here:

Download Now, Music

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Jeff Giles

Jeff Giles is the founder and editor-in-chief of Popdose and Dadnabbit, as well as an entertainment writer whose work can be seen at Rotten Tomatoes and a number of other sites. Hey, why not follow him at Twitter while you're at it?

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