Indie rock legends Modest Mouse will be releasing their first new album since 2015, The Golden Casket, on June 25 via Epic Records. They just shared the lead single from it, which is called “We Are Between.”
The new song shows them continuing their trend towards progressively more danceable, radio-friendly rock. Instrumentally, it’s a mix of some post-punk guitar riffing, a loud bass groove and standard rock drums. As for the vocals, frontman Isaac Brock commits to an anthemic chorus with repetitive lyrics, “We are between, we are between, yeah we are/Somewhere between dust and the stars.” It’s a rehashing of existential themes that Brock has been singing since he first began releasing music in 1993.
“We Are Between” follows up the three singles that Modest Mouse shared in 2019, “Poison the Well,” “I’m Still Here” and “Ice Cream Party.” While those songs won’t be on the album, they share similar vibe as “We Are Between.” Modest Mouse’s previous full-length was 2015’s Strangers to Ourselves, which spawned hits like “Lampshades On Fire” and “The Ground Walks, With Time in Box.”
Since then, they have been touring and playing as many festivals as they can. After their Strangers to Ourselves tour, they went on a co-headlining tour with Brand New in 2016 that ended up being Brand New’s final tour, as well as solo tour in 2017 and a tour with The Black Keys in 2019. They’re set to play the Life is Beautiful festival in Las Vegas this September.
Modest Mouse is much more well-known for the music they released in the late ‘90s/early ‘00s. They came out with their debut album, This Is a Long Drive For Someone With Nothing to Think About, in 1996, which featured their first hit, “Dramamine.” Their follow-up album The Lonesome Crowded West (1997) is likely their most critically acclaimed record, but not as commercially popular due to its emotional themes.
The three LPs they released after that saw them blending similar concepts into a more accessible style, including The Moon & Antarctica (2000), Good News for People Who Love Bad News (2004) and We Were Dead Before the Ship Even Sank (2007). Of course, their biggest hit by far is “Float On,” from Good News. Other hits include “Dashboard,” “Missed the Boat,” “The World at Large” and “Gravity Rides Everything.”
The Golden Casket Tracklist:
1. Fuck Your Acid Trip
2. We Are Between
3. We’re Lucky
4. Walking and Running
5. Wooden Soldiers
6. Transmitting Receiving
7. The Sun Hasn’t Left
8. Lace Your Shoes
9. Never Fuck A Spider On The Fly
10. Leave A Light On
11. Japanese Trees
12. Back To The Middle
Photo credit: Brett Padelford
Leave a Comment