If you don’t necessarily recognize Butch Walker by name, you certainly recognize his work.

Pink, Katy Perry, Weezer, Avril Lavigne, and Fall Out Boy have all benefited from Walker’s songwriting and production skills, and Walker picked up major viral traffic last year on his own when he put his impromptu cover of Taylor Swift’s “You Belong With Me” up on YouTube (a version that Swift liked so much that she invited Walker to play with her at the Grammys). And if you’re old enough to remember Dawson’s Creek, you’ll recall “Freak of the Week,” his alt-rock radio hit with his band Marvelous 3.

The Spade, his latest with backing band the Black Widows, is scheduled to drop on August 30 (you can pre-order it here). Like the bulk of his work, it’s full of big hooks, smart lyrics, and an overall sense of clever, stomping fun.

Give a listen to first single “Synthesizers”—exclusive to EW.com—after the jump: READ FULL STORY »