The Smashing Pumpkins, well more specifically Billy Corgan, have seen it all in the band’s 24-year existence. From earth-shattering success to bitter breakups, Corgan has weathered the storm longer than most of his peers. With a new Pumpkins album entitled ‘Oceania’ on the horizon, the musician has shed some light on the disc.

‘Oceania’ will be released June 19 and contains 13 tracks. It is part of Corgan’s 44-song ‘Teargarden by Kaleidyscope’ epic and described as an “album within an album.” ‘Oceania’ is the first studio album from the Smashing Pumpkins since 2007′s ‘Zeitgeist.’

Corgan feels the days of needing hit singles on an album are gone. Every track needed to be as good as the other in order to make the final tracklisting.

“From a production standpoint I was dead set on making an album where every song was just as valuable as any other, ignoring the typical claptrap you hear about needing a single,” he says in a Q&A-styled press release. “The only way to make the case that every song on ‘Oceania’ is worth hearing is to put your heart into the sequence as a cohesive whole. Once we felt we’d achieved that balance, only then did we let anyone outside our world hear the record we’d made.”

‘Oceania’ is the first Smashing Pumpkins album to feature the current lineup of Corgan, drummer Mike Byrne, bassist Nicole Fiorentino and guitarist Jeff Schroeder. Corgan is the only founding member after the group originally disbanded in 2000, but believes this lineup is the best one yet.

“Jeff, Mike, and Nicole have all made significant contributions to the tone and texture of ‘Oceania,’ which is an album that is unlike any I’ve ever made,” Corgan explains. “Yet at the same time I believe it upholds the same musical values I’ve always pushed for with the Pumpkins, be they progressive, emotional, epic, or restless.”

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