Modest Mouse have released the frantic, bounding “Lampshades on Fire,” the first taste of their upcoming new album, Strangers to Ourselves. The band enlisted numerous fans to help announce the album, sending them a double-A side 7-inch of the LP’s first single, one of which spins on a turntable in the video accompanying the song’s official release.
A stomping, up-tempo number, “Lampshades on Fire” boasts a relentless, clattering drum beat and finds frontman Isaac Brock unleashing a torrent of tightly-wound lyrics over a simple buoyant keyboard riff and striking, but funky, guitar work. The song has been a part of Modest Mouse’s live sets since 2011.
“Lampshades on Fire” will be made available as an instant download to those who pre-order Strangers to Ourselves on iTunes or Amazon. The album is also available to pre-order on CD or vinyl, and also as a part of special packages containing either a T-shirt, hoodie or vintage posters signed by artist Shepard Fairey.
Strangers to Ourselves is slated for release on March 3rd via Epic, and an extensive tour for next year is currently in the works. The LP marks Modest Mouse’s first album in eight years, following 2007’s We Were Dead Before the Ship Even Sank.
While other new songs like “Shit In Your Cut,” “Sugar Boats” and “Be Brave” have appeared in the band’s recent live sets, it’s unclear whether they’ll also be included on Strangers to Ourselves. The band has also recorded with Outkast’s Big Boi and Nirvana bassist Krist Novoselic in recent years, though they have yet to confirm that either track will appear on the new album.
