Mogwai’s eleventh album, The Bad Fire, is out today. Its title comes from a working-class Glaswegian term for Hell, a reflection of the dark period the band members were going through during its creation.
American producer John Congleton—known for work with Explosions In The Sky, Sigur Rós, and John Grant—joined them in the studio. He makes his mark on the album’s three singles.
The opener “God Gets You Back” sounds, in the band’s words, like Daft Punk being hunted by My Bloody Valentine. “Fanzine Made Of Flesh” feels like a victory parade for a baby yeti. “Lion Rumpus” does, in fact, sound like a lion rumpus.
Their music is tough to pin down but easy to experience. At high volume, it can pulverize your body, leaving you feeling like only your head remains. Yet there’s a hidden lift in the barrage, a sense of beauty inside the feedback. It keeps you afloat, a reminder that you can claim something transcendent even in the roar.
The Bad Fire doubles down on that approach. Though it emerged from a grim backdrop, it also shows how four musicians in a room, playing here and now, can push beyond those conditions.
The album is available in several editions, including a limited Deluxe Edition Box Set of 2,000 that features three LPs—two on opaque green vinyl, plus a bonus demos LP on black vinyl—along with a gatefold jacket, photo booklet, sticker, and a CD version. There’s also a 1,000-edition opaque red 2xLP gatefold. Standard versions exist as well.
MOGWAI tour dates:
Feb 4 – Amsterdam, NL @ Paradiso
Feb 6 – Hamburg, DE @ Große Freiheit 36
Feb 7 – Copenhagen, DK @ Vega
Feb 8 – Stockholm, SE @ Fållan
Feb 9 – Oslo, NO @ Rockefeller
Feb 11 – Berlin, DE @ Admiralspalast
Feb 12 – Leipzig, DE @ Taubchenthal
Feb 14 – Maastricht, NL @ Muziekgieterij
Feb 15 – Groningen, NL @ De Oosterpoort
Feb 17 – Brussels, BE @ Ancienne Belgique
Feb 18 – Antwerp, BE @ De Roma
Feb 19 – Paris, FR @ Casino De Paris
Feb 20 – London, UK @ O2 Academy Brixton
Feb 22 – Leeds, UK @ O2 Academy
Feb 23 – Edinburgh, SC @ Usher Hall
Mar 8 – Bangkok, TH @ Voice Space
Mar 11 – Osaka, JP @ Gorilla Hall
Mar 12 – Tokyo, JP @ Zepp Shinjuku
Mar 14 – Taipei, TW @ Zepp New Taipei
Apr 7 – Washington, DC @ 9:30 Club
Apr 8 – Philadelphia, PA @ Theatre Of Living Arts
Apr 10 – Brooklyn, NY @ Brooklyn Steel
Apr 11 – Boston, MA @ Paradise Rock Club
Apr 13 – Montreal, QC @ Beanfield Theatre
Apr 14 – Toronto, ON @ Danforth Music Hall
Apr 16 – Detroit, MI @ Saint Andrew’s Hall
Apr 17 – Chicago, IL @ The Metro
Apr 18 – Minneapolis, MN @ Varsity Theatre
Apr 20 – Denver, CO @ Ogden Theatre
Apr 22 – Salt Lake City, UT @ Commonwealth Room
Apr 24 – Vancouver, BC @ The Commodore Ballroom
Apr 25 – Seattle, WA @ The Showbox
Apr 26 – Portland, OR @ Roseland Theatre
Apr 28 – San Francisco, CA @ The Regency Ballroom
Apr 29 – Los Angeles, CA @ The Bellwether
Apr 30 – Phoenix, AZ @ Van Buren
May 3 – Austin, TX @ Emo’s
May 4 – Dallas, TX @ The Echo Lounge
