Key Takeaways
- The Smashing Pumpkins released “Black Stars” for The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping soundtrack, reuniting with Siamese Dream producer Butch Vig for their first recording collaboration since 1993.
- Billy Corgan developed the track while working on a solo album, then recorded it with Vig at Chaplin Studios in Los Angeles and during additional sessions in Chicago.
- “Black Stars” is out now with a music video and appears on the band’s Rats in a Cage Tour, while the 29-artist soundtrack arrives Nov. 13 ahead of the film’s Nov. 20 theatrical release.
There's something special about a band that's been rocking since the '90s and still has something new to offer the music world.
With that in mind, the Smashing Pumpkins have a new song out, and it brings Billy Corgan and the band back together with a familiar name from their history. "Black Stars" is the group's contribution to The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping (The Album), and it marks their first recording collaboration with producer Butch Vig since 1993's Siamese Dream.
That's a huge reunion. Vig was behind the boards for Siamese Dream, the multi-platinum album that helped establish the Pumpkins as one of alternative rock's defining bands. More than three decades later, he's back working with the group on a track written for a very different world, one filled with danger, survival and drama.
The story behind "Black Stars" began while Corgan was working on a solo album. According to a news release, when the band was invited to write an original song for the upcoming Hunger Games film, Corgan brought Vig into the process to help choose the right track for the project. The song was recorded at Chaplin Studios in Los Angeles, with additional recording sessions taking place in Chicago.
Fans don't have to wait for the soundtrack's full arrival to hear it. "Black Stars" is available now, along with an accompanying music video. The song is also part of the Pumpkins' current Rats in a Cage Tour, giving audiences a chance to hear the new material alongside the band's established catalog.
The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping (The Album) arrives in full on Nov. 13 through MCA. Executive produced by Grammy-winning producer Dave Cobb, the 29-artist collection brings together musicians from across genres, with original songs created specifically for the film's world.
The movie, from Lionsgate, is scheduled to hit theaters on Nov. 20. For Pumpkins fans, though, the immediate draw is "Black Stars."
