Photo by Brian Sweeny
Mogwai hasn’t exactly been silent since releasing their last studio album, 2014’s Rave Tapes. They put out a reworking of their soundtrack to the BBC documentary Storyville – Atomic: Living in Dread and Promise, simply entitled Atomic, last summer. And in the fall, they teamed with Trent Reznor, Atticus Ross, and Gustavo Santaolalla on the soundtrack to Leonardo DiCaprio’s climate change documentary, Before the Flood. Still, the Scottish prog-rock outfit hasn’t technically released a true full-length follow-up to Rave Tapes, but that will change later this summer.
The band has announced a September 1st release for Every Country’s Sun, their ninth LP and first since the departure of guitarist John Cummings, who left in late 2015. Coming from Temporary Residence (Rock Action in the UK and Spunk in Australia), the album was produced by David Lawrence (The Flaming Lips, Mercury Rev). After sharing ideas via Dropbox, the band met up at Fridmann’s Tarbox Road Studios in Chautauqua County, NY to record the 11-track effort.
“What’s going on in the world politically and socially has to affect you,” guitarist Stuart Braithwaite, who also sings on the record, said in a statement. “It was very much on our minds, especially in America. We were vaguely getting over the Scottish referendum, then the death of David Bowie, along comes Brexit, and then Trump. The album was written in a very turbulent, intense period so I think it maybe feels like some kind of shield from that? That’s maybe just my take. Because it literally was for me.”
As a first listen, Mogwai has shared the album’s lead single, “Coolverine”. Take a listen below.
Pre-orders for Every Country’s Sun are going on here. A deluxe edition will come pressed on opaque white 180-gram vinyl and include the album on CD, a 12-inch featuring six unreleased demos, and a set of seven exclusive photos. All vinyl pre-orders, including the deluxe version, come with a 7-inch single version of the album track “Party in the Dark”. Find the tracklist and album art below.
Every Country’s Sun Album Art:
Every Country’s Sun Deluxe Version:
Every Country’s Sun Tracklist:
01. Coolverine
02. Party In The Dark
03. Brain Sweeties
04. Crossing The Road Material
05. aka 47
06. 20 Size
07. 1000 Foot Face
08. Don’t Believe The Fife
09. Battered At The Scramble
10. Old Poisons
11. Every Country’s Sun
Deluxe Edition Bonus 12-inch:
01. Acoustic Wash Demo Rough Mix
02. Baritone 2 Demo Rough Mix
03. Bass Tuned To C Demo Rough Mix
04. Bends Demo Rough Mix
05. Frez Demo Rough Mix
06. Ludicrous Ripper Demo Rough Mix
In support of the new album, Mogwai’s mapped out an extensive tour, including a North American leg tour kicking off in November.
Mogwai 2017 Tour Dates:
08/10 – Hobart, AU @ Dark Mofo
08/19 – Tokyo, JP @ Hostess Club All-Nighter
09/08 – Portmeirion, UK @ Festival No.6
10/10 – Oslo, NO @ Rockefeller Music Hall
10/11 – Stockholm, SE @ Nobelberget
10/12 – Malmo, SE @ KB
10/13 – Copenhagen, DK @ Vega
10/14 – Berlin, DE @ Columbiahalle
10/16 – Hamburg, DE @ Docks
10/17 – Cologne, DE @ E-Werk
10/18 – Lille, FR @ L’Aeronef
10/20 – Brussels, BE @ AB Main Hall
10/22 – Utrecht, NL @ Tivoli
10/23 – Paris, FR @ Le Grand Rex
10/25 – Madrid, ES @ Riviera
10/26 – Basel, CH @ Reithalle
10/27 – Milan, IT @ Fabrique
10/28 – Rome, IT @ Atlantico
10/29 – Bologna, ITT @ Estragon
10/31 – Prague, CZ @ Roxy
11/01 – Vienna, AT @ Arena
11/02 – Leipzig, DE @ Taubchenthal
11/03 – Munich, DE @ Backstage-Werk
11/20 – San Diego, CA @ Observatory N. Park
11/21 – Los Angeles, CA @ Belasco Theater
11/22 – San Francisco, CA @ Regency Ballroom
11/23 – Portland, OR @ Roseland Theater
11/24 – Seattle, WA @ The Showbox
11/25 – Vancouver, BC @ Commodore Ballroom
11/28 – Denver, CO @ Ogden Theatre
11/30 – Omaha, NE @ The Waiting Room
12/01 – Minneapolis, MN @ First Avenue
12/02 – Chicago, IL @ House of Blues
12/03 – Detroit, MI @ Majestic Theatre
12/05 – Toronto, ON @ Danforth Music Hall
12/06 – Montreal, QC @ Corona Theatre
12/07 – Boston, MA @ Royale Nightclub
12/08 – New York, NY @ Terminal 5
12/09 – Philadelphia, PA @ Theatre of Living Arts
12/10 – Washington, DC @ 9:30 Club
