Chicago-based music insider news site The Tripwire has posted what appears to be a brand new track from mid-90s gloomy trip-hop masterminds Portishead. The group, on what had seemed a permanent hiatus since 1997's Portishead, is allegedly hard at work on their third album (at least according to singer Beth Gibbons's website.)

In the years since their last album, 1998's PHNYC a live recording, producer Geoff Barrow has been more or less reclusive while Gibbons went on to release a brilliant album Out Of Season under the name Beth Gibbons and Rustin Man. In addition, she's scored a film and written songs for Jane Birkin and Joss Stone.

There's little info out there regarding the new recordings, though a note from the band explains they were worried of turning out a record sounding like "coffee table zero 7-moby-chill out shit." The leaked song, "Key Bored" certainly evades those easy cliches and may hint at a more leftfield approach from the reunited Portishead. Let's hope there are more vocals in evidence when their new album does indeed surface.

Check out "Key Bored" HERE

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