THE Mogwai announce their eleventh studio album today The Bad Fireproduced by John Congleton (St Vincent, Angel Olsen, John Grant) at Chem19 studios in Scotland. The album is available for pre-order and pre-save in various formats including box set, black LP, transparent LP, CD and cassette. The album is preceded by the new song “Lion Rumpus” with video directed by long-time collaborator Antony Crook, director of the documentary “Mogwai: If The Stars Had A Sound”.
The Bad Fire was recorded in Lanarkshire, with Grammy Award-winning producer John Congleton joining the band in the studio. The Bad Fire, slang Scottish for hell, draws inspiration from a series of difficult personal moments in which the band found themselves after their tenth albumAs The Love Continues of 2021, which smashed the charts.
Mogwai state: “After the peak of the release of As The Love Continuesthe following years were personally difficult for all of us. We have faced many losses and, in Barry's case, a serious illness in one of his daughters. Coming back together to write and record this album felt like a refuge and with John Congleton we feel like we've achieved something special. We often hear people say that our music has helped them overcome difficult moments in their lives and for once I think that applies to us too.”
The Bad Fire is a collection of songs that forgoes nostalgia and easy wins, once again leading Mogwai to evolve with some of the most beautiful and explosive songs of their career.
The new song “Lion Rumpus” is a spectacular explosion of noise in which robotic voices merge with guitars, which go from a progression of chords to flashes of virtuosity. “Lion Rumpus” highlights Mogwai's ability to create vast waves of emotion without ever pandering to their audience or playing it safe.
The Bad Fire it's a bold return, a record that retains Mogwai's power while entering new territory for the band.
Daniel D`Amico for SANREMO.FM
