Album Review: Mogwai- The Bad Fire

Mogwai paint yet another stunning soundscape of sonic textures

In their latest offering, Scottish post-rock group Mogwai delivers yet another stunning painting of sonic textures across 55 minutes. Released January 24, 2025, The Bad Fire is Mogwai’s tenth studio album and a testament to their unrivaled songwriting ability. 

Formed in 1995 in Glasgow, Scotland, Mogwai consists of members Stuart Braithwaite(guitar, bass, vocals), Dominic Aitchison(bass, guitar, keys), Martin Bulloch(drums), and multi-instrumentalist Barry Burns(guitar, bass, keys, synths, flute, and vocals). 

Continuing their post-rock style, The Bad Fire sparingly uses vocals- mainly consisting of massive instrumental arrangements with nods to electronica, shoegaze, and rock. Sitting at ten tracks, Mogwai maintains a consistent feel across the LP without becoming overly repetitive between tracks or within each song. 

Highlights of the LP include “A Fanzine Made of Flesh,” in which Braithwaite’s vocals are instrumentalized through a vocoder. At the same time, contrasting guitar and synth melodies are weaved together through Bulloch’s and Mogwai’s rhythm section before releasing into an atmospheric chorus with the addition of another synth layer and rising and falling vocal melody. While “A Fanzine Made of Flesh” is a rare track on The Bad Fire that follows the traditional form verse-chorus-verse form of pop music, the instrumental track composing most of the album highlights Mogwai’s incredible songwriting abilities. “If You Find This World Bad, You Should See Some of the Others” begins with a single arpeggiated guitar chord as layers of additional guitar, bass, percussion, and keys are added until slowly leading to a monumental wall of sound before abruptly returning to the opening guitar notes. Additionally, Mogwai pulls from various influences in the focus of each respective track as the previously mentioned songs remain largely guitar-based. In contrast, others such as “What Kind of Mix Is This?” rely heavily on electronica influences through synthesizers and digital processing effects- not only does this maintain sonic diversity but creates a more cohesive feel across The Bad Fire.  

In gradually building each track layer by layer, Mogwai displays their ability to create harmony out of sonic disarray—and after a 30-year span, they show no sign of losing their edge. 

Mark D'Alessandro: Mark D'Alessandro graduated from Union College in 2024 with a major in anthropology and minor in ethnomusicology, during which he researched authenticity and racial and gender inclusivity in the Albany DIY scene. Mark is passionate about telling the stories of artists and their work from the underground to the mainstream scenes. A lover of grunge, punk, indie rock and metal, some of his favorite bands include Nirvana, Alice in Chains, Slipknot, Drug Church, Flatwounds, and MX Lonely. Outside of music journalism, Mark enjoys playing guitar, hiking, and running.
Related Post
Leave a Comment