Marking the 20th anniversary of Mark Lanegan’s groundbreaking album Bubblegum, the single “Heard A Train”, a previously unreleased full-band outtake from the Bubblegum recording sessions, has been released and is to be featured on the upcoming album, Bubblegum XX. 

“Heard A Train” starts out slowly with the late Lanegan’s haunting voice accompanied by a distant organ hum and slow guitar strums before quickly descending into a pounding rhythm expected to send chills down listeners’ spines. The moody lyrics are evocative with grim mention of religious themes and repeated phrases such as “Somebody said that they missed me.” The song ends the same way as it started with Lanegan’s haunting, raspy vocals highlighted in the backdrop of a low organ tune and languid acoustic guitar. Lanegan’s final sendoff emulates an “I told you so” vibe with his parting lyrics “You should have never walked with me, babe”, fueling his narrative of being involved with an emotionally detached vagabond such as himself.   

To commemorate the Screaming Trees’ lead singer’s memory, Bubblegum XX is set to be released on August 23rd by Beggars Arkive in conjunction with the Estate of Mark Lanegan. The release will include a remastered double LP edition of the original album and a 4XLP/3XCD/Digital release of 40 remastered tracks with 12 songs being previously unreleased. The demos and unreleased tracks feature seven outtakes from the original Bubblegum recording sessions, with six songs recorded, produced, and mixed by Troy Van Leeuwen in hotel rooms with Lanegan and Van Leeuwen playing the instruments. 

Read all about the musical legacy of Mark Lanegan in our previously published stories such as his final footage in the song “Hiraeth”, a collaboration with former Icarus Line singer, Joe Cardmone.

Be sure to listen to the single “Heard A Train” before the release of the album here: