“This Summer” the A-side of this seven-inch, was the first new Superchunk single since the 2010 release of their widely acclaimed album Majesty Shredding. The B-side features the band’s own take on Bananarama’s ’80s hit “Cruel Summer.” Produced by Scott Solter with artwork featuring photography by Harrison Haynes (Les Savy Fav).

From Mac:
I like “summer” songs. They could be about the actual season, or just be songs listened to most while doing things you do during the summer—taking a road trip, going to the coast, sitting outside on the roof or the porch or the beach or wherever. And actually, maybe most of those songs were written during the winter or the spring by someone somewhere cold who was looking forward to summer (because for one thing, if you want a song to come out during the summer, please note that you have to make it long before then).

And since a new Superchunk album is a ways off, we thought a summer-themed single was at least pitching in a little bit for 2012. “This Summer” is about all the things listed above plus some ritual wiping-the-slate-type energy. Coming up with a B-side didn’t take long. Luckily for fans of Seals & Crofts, Nancy and Lee, Spent, Carole King, and the 3Ds, their “summer” songs were spared. Bananarama, here we come!

If you get the “demo” version of “This Summer,” it’s one of many demos for this song. The very first one was actually all electric and sounds a little too close to the studio version to be worth hearing. I had to do a bunch of quiet ones to get the structure right; this is one of those.