Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds have just announced 18th studio album, Wild God, out on 30 August. Speaking of the album, Cave said, “There’s no fucking around with this record. When it hits, it hits. It lifts you. It moves you. I love that about it,’ The cinematic, soul-stirring title track gives us a glorious glimpse of things to come. Listen here:
“I hope the album has the effect on listeners that it’s had on me,” Cave says. “It bursts out of the speaker, and I get swept up with it. It’s a complicated record, but it’s also deeply and joyously infectious. There is never a masterplan when we make a record. The records rather reflect back the emotional state of the writers and musicians who played them. Listening to this, I don’t know, it seems we’re happy.”
Across ten tracks, the band dance between convention and experimentation, taking left-turns and detours that heighten the rich imagery and emotion in Cave’s emotive narratives. It is the sound of a group emboldened by reconnection and taking flight. There are moments that touch fondly upon the Bad Seeds’ past but they are fleeting, and serve only to imbue the relentless and restless forward motion of the band.
Produced by Cave and Warren Ellis, and mixed by David Fridmann, Cave began writing the album on New Year’s Day 2023. With sessions at Miraval in Provence and Soundtree in London, the Bad Seeds added their unique alchemy, with additional performances from Colin Greenwood (bass) and Luis Almau (nylon string guitar, acoustic guitar).
Wild God will be released on Bad Seed in partnership with Play It Again Sam on streaming, CD, and standard and limited edition vinyl. The track listing is as follows:
1. Song of the Lake
2. Wild God
3. Frogs
4. Joy
5. Final Rescue Attempt
6. Conversion
7. Cinnamon Horses
8. Long Dark Night
9. O Wow O Wow (How Wonderful She Is)
10. As the Waters Cover the Sea
Photo credit: Ian Allen
