“Strange Victory, Strange Defeat,” the first single off David Berman’s new Silver Jews album Lookout Mountain, Lookout Sea, continues with his long-running aesthetic, lazy sun-baked poetry with shimmering Bob Dylan-circa 1975 production.

The lyrics are concerned with squirrels and “rock band magazines” and Berman draws the comparison between the small land-dwelling rodent and the general indifferent public, before the song breaks into a shout-along chorus.    

The track is pretty strong overall, and ratchets up expectations for the new album. It hits stores on June 17 via Drag City.