Kevin Bronson on March 17th, 2020

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It’s 2020 and the Pretenders still sound like the Pretenders, so there’s that.

“If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it,” Chrissie Hynde says in today’s announcement of the band’s new album “Hate for Sale,” which arrives May 1.

The album, the Pretenders’ 11th, was produced by Stephen Street (The Smiths, Blur, the Cranberries). The songs were penned by Hynde and guitarist James Walbourne, and the recordings feature the rest of the band’s touring lineup, which includes bassist Nick Wilkinson and drummer Martin Chambers.

The lead single, “The Buzz,” won’t disappoint anybody who’s been following the Pretenders since their debut (which just passed its 40th anniversary). It’s a jangling mid-tempo rocker with Hynde’s smoldering, 68-years-young vocals waxing convincingly about “how a shot of love makes you feel.”

“I think we all know that love affairs can take on the characteristics of drug addiction,” Hynde says of the track. “‘The Buzz’ is about that. Not mine, of course — I’m never obsessive never obsessive never obsessive.”

||| Stream: “The Buzz”

||| Live: The Pretenders are scheduled to open for Journey on May 23 at the Forum (tickets) and on May 26 at the Honda Center (tickets). The Pretenders play Sept. 27 at Ohana Fest at Doheny State Beach. Info.