It's been quite a long time since the Suburbs have released any new material—27 years, to be exact. So we're experiencing a little slice of history today with the release of their new single, "Turn the Radio On," the first taste of their album Si Sauvage.

When I spoke with Chan Poling about the new Suburbs record, we specifically discussed the meaning behind "Turn the Radio On," which he says is about dancing around his kitchen to the radio with his late wife, Eleanor Mondale Poling.

"The storyline is melancholy, but it’s hopeful, too," he reflected. "It’s about happiness. It’s really one of the simplest songs. One thing I keep doing is, ‘Can I just say something as simply as possible? And will it be sincere, and come across?’ There’s a kind of art to that, I think. So I kind of held it back for a while. Can I really just say, ‘Turn the radio on and we’ll dance around the kitchen’? Is it too corny, or too disingenuous? But, you know... The sincerity level is never going to get to the Hallmark card kind of level. People will always understand that we come from an edgier place. And maybe that’s why ‘Turn the Radio On’ works. It’s a nice blend."

With their Kickstarter campaign still in progress, the band posted the song to SoundCloud along with the album artwork, which looks like what might happen if Kirsten Dunst's character in Marie Antoinette was getting ready to go to a Suburbs concert.

Si Sauvage is due out August 27, with a CD-release celebration of sorts happening at the Minnesota State Fair on August 30 when the Suburbs play MN Music-on-a-Stick.

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Previously:

The Suburbs announce first new album in 27 years, Si Sauvage

The Suburbs, P.O.S. unite crowd of thousands in downtown St. Paul