When J Mascis set up his home studio in preparation for Dinosaur Jr’s sixth album since their 2005 reunion, he decided to use a ’70s Mesa Boogie MK 1 amp for the first time since their 1985 debut Dinosaur. Independently but simultaneously, Lou Barlow was making his own nod to the past, incorporating on one song the distorted sound of a shortwave radio that he’d taped during the band’s first European tour and originally used on 1987’s You’re Living All Over Me. These two decisions say a lot about Dinosaur Jr in 2026, as Barlow and Mascis concurrently but separately reference their past, in a way so subtle and classy that nobody except them would even know they’re doing it. It’s a way of creating a bond to your history without disorientating the listener with…