Everclear: Land Cruiser Driving Soccer Dad

Everclear is out touring hard for their guitar-charged new album Slow Motion Daydream and its lead single, "Volvo Driving Soccer Mom."

Art Alexakis, Everclear's rock punker of advancing years, provides a little looksee into the album's pretty catchy new single:

"It depends on how you look at it. It's a song about definitions, people defining themselves and being defined by other people," he says. "And you know, that's OK in junior high school and middle school, but it's really stupid when you're in your 30s or in your 40s, you doing it to other people. And it's kind of poking fun at that. It's like, who cares what other people do with their own time, their sexual bias, their sexual appetites. As long as it doesn't hurt you, what do you care? And that's what that song's about. And it pokes fun at people who lose track of themselves, kind of go through the chameleon phase. But I've done it too. I'm poking fun at myself too in the same way. I'm a Land Cruiser driving soccer dad and you know [looking at drummer Greg Eklund, who now has a nine month old boy], you're probably going to be taking your kids to soccer games someday. But that doesn't define you. That doesn't define us, but we do that. Whereas some people want to be defined as that, or want to define other people by that. That's what it's about. And plus it's just a cool rock song. It makes you go 'What?"'

The latest album is a simple, rocking affair. Gone are the lofty Use Your Illusions aspirations of Everclear's last batch of work.

"For the most part, man, it's rock 'n' roll; it's not rocket science. We just record the bass and drums, record guitars and go home," he says. "One thing different about this record is that we didn't use a lot of bells and whistles. We didn't use a lot of accoutrements. If I heard a sound in my head, I tried to do it with guitar. Whereas on other records, the last couple of records, there are literally bells, whistles, all sorts of stuff."

Alexakis' simple way of explaining the new record also reflects how he defines the band.

"I would say we're a hard rock band with a singer-songwriter," he says. "Yeah. We're a combination of that. I think that's what we've always been. I'm a singer-songwriter and I think my songs will work with or without the band. But with the band, they take on a new life. And I think that's how a song should be."