Hypnotic Eye

Tom Petty previously said that his upcoming 13th studio album with The Heartbreakers, entitled Hypnotic Eye, will be “a straight hard-rockin’ record, from beginning to end.” Judging by the album’s first track, “American Dream Plan B”, Petty and Co. are set to make good on that promise. Heavy guitar stomps over a straightforward beat, weighty but resilient like the song’s namesake. On the verses, Petty applies a slight snarl to his nasal delivery, with subtle hints of that accent he used on “Breakdown”. The legend sings from the perspective of a younger person facing more modern American challenges, someone who knows “My success is anybody’s guess/but like a fool I’m betting on happiness.”