Bob Mould has released “Forecast of Rain” off of his
explosive upcoming album BLUE HEARTS, which arrives via Merge Records on
Friday, September 25; pre-orders are available now.
Mould released this statement about the song:
“As a child, my mother took me to Sunday Mass. I’ve written many songs around
religion. In the 2000s, I went back to the Catholic Church for three years –
but I did not find my place.
“I recognize the importance of religion for those who
believe: the worship, the rituals, the community; loving thy neighbor,
following commandments, doing unto others as you would have them do unto you.
In short, be nice to people, help however you can, and don’t steal stuff.
“But right now, I’m having a hard time understanding how
certain religious sectarians can support the behavior of those who occupy the
People’s House. How can you endorse their disregard for truth? How can you
tolerate the incessant vindictiveness? How can you stand by your man while
people are teargassed to clear a path to the Lord’s House?
“I’m not good at quoting scripture, but I can manage two
words: Jesus wept.”
“Forecast of Rain” is the second song released from Mould’s
14th solo LP, BLUE HEARTS – and follows the provocative first single “American
Crisis” from June. That song garnered great attention from the press, with
Rolling Stone writing that it “vibrates with urgency,” NPR saying the song is
“pure punk fury” and Paste describing the song as a “scabrous, pissed-off
screed against the ‘fucked-up USA’ we’re living in.”
BLUE HEARTS is perhaps the most directly confrontational
work of Bob Mould’s four-decade career, a raging 14-track collection described
by its creator as “the catchiest batch of protest songs I’ve ever written in
one sitting.” Produced by Mould at Chicago’s
famed Electrical Audio with longtime collaborator Beau Sorenson engineering,
the album – which once again features backing from the crack rhythm section of
drummer Jon Wurster and bassist Jason Narducy – nods to the veteran
singer-songwriter’s groundbreaking past while remaining firmly planted in the
issues of the day. Where SUNSHINE ROCK captured Mould at his most “violently happy”
(according to Rolling Stone), BLUE HEARTS is both seething and pointed, the
raging yin to the previous album’s positive yang. The acoustic opener “Heart
on My Sleeve” catalogues the ravages of climate change, while “American Crisis”
– written initially for SUNSHINE ROCK but deemed “too heavy” by its writer –
spits plainspoken fire at the people who fomented this catastrophic moment in
history, while “Forecast of Rain” questions the ethos of American community:
“This love this neighbor thing: Does it apply to all mankind, or only those who
fit neatly inside your narrow lines?”
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