Indie rock icon Bob Mould is prepping the follow-up to 2016’s Patch the Sky, which his label has promised comes from “a more personal place.” The album, Sunshine Rock, was recorded after Mould moved to Berlin two years ago and it was greatly influenced by the darkness that emerged following the 2016 election of Pres. Donald Trump.
“Almost four years ago, I made plans for an extended break,” Mould said in a statement about the album, which is due out on Merge Records on Feb. 8. “I started spending time in Berlin in 2015, found an apartment in 2016, and became a resident in 2017. My time in Berlin has been a life changing experience. The winter days are long and dark, but when the sun comes back, all spirits lift.” The transformation he underwent inspired the title of the album as well as the numerous references to “sun” (27 in 37 minutes) that appear on the album.
“To go from [2011 autobiography] See a Little Light to the last three albums, two of which were informed by loss of each parent, respectively, at some point I had to put a Post-It note on my work state and say, ‘Try to think about good things.’ Otherwise I could really go down a long, dark hole,” Mould explained. “I’m trying to keep things brighter these days as a way to stay alive…’Sunshine Rock’ was such a bright, optimistic song, and once that came together, I knew that would be the title track, and that really set the tone for the direction of the album.”
Listen to “Sunshine Rock” below and check out Mould’s tour dates after the jump.
Tour Dates
Feb. 14 – Washington, DC @ 9:30 Club
Feb. 15 – Philadelphia, PA @ Union Transfer
Feb. 16 – Boston, MA @ Paradise Rock Club
Feb. 18 – Toronto, ON @ Phoenix Concert Theatre
Feb. 19 – Pittsburgh, PA @ Mr. Smalls
Feb. 21 – New York, NY @ Brooklyn Steel
Feb. 22 & 23 – Chicago, IL @ Metro
Feb. 25 – Ft. Collins, CO @ Washington’s
Feb. 26 – Denver, CO @ Gothic Theatre
March 1 – Los Angeles, CA @ Teragram Ballroom
March 2 – San Francisco, CA @ The Fillmore
March 30 – Minneapolis, MN @ The Palace
March 31 – St. Paul, MN @ Turf Club
Apr. 2 – Dallas, TX @ Granada
Apr. 3 – Austin, TX @ Mohawk
Apr. 5 – Portland, OR @ Wonder Ballroom
Apr. 6 – Seattle, WA @ Neumos
Apr. 7 – Vancouver, BC @ Rickshaw