More about: Modest Mouse

On Friday 25 June American alternative six-piece Modest Mouse released their thirteenth studio album, The Golden Casket via Epic Records - and it’s one for summer.

A staggering six years since their last, Strangers to Ourselves, Modest Mouse have delved deep on this new album - resurfacing lost tracks, and taking influence from the perils of lockdown to explore the dark and light side of their paths. 

Following its release, standout tracks include that of the introductory ‘Fuck Your Acid Trip', lead single ‘We Are Between’, and ‘We’re Lucky.’ Having dropped ‘We Are Between’ in the beginning of May as the album teaser, this track, alongside the idiosyncratic album cover, set the tone to expect some psychedelic tendencies within this album. And as as you follow the storyline of each track you’re blissfully taken across 12 tranquil tunes. 

Across this summer, through to the next, Modest Mouse are scheduled for a handful of festivals including that of Lollapalooza, Just Like Heaven and Austin City Limits, to list a few. Scheduled for a US tour, the group have already sold out their September headlining show in L.A.     

We spoke to frontman Isaac Brock about the making of this album, his most memorable acid trip, live shows and more.  

Gigwise: When did you guys begin curating the Golden Casket?

Isaac Brock: Like anything really: a little piece here, a little piece there. Some of it’s older than the last record, the bulk of it was done in the studio, besides the small pieces, nothing was written. But that was the plan, we wanted to collage stuff together and make it happen! Some of it I had forgotten about too, like ‘We are Between’. I found it on my computer, I had completely forgotten about it!

GW: That’s really interesting to think that ‘We are Between’ was in a sense a lost project. How exactly did the album title The Golden Casket come about?

IB: Just luck! I don’t really have answer to that, it’s kind of a board game that we get to play. 

GW: What themes would you say you guys have pushed in this album? I personally feel you’ve really weaved in some psych tendencies in here, which is a little bit different…

IB: It’s hard to unravel, I guess this record is a bit about coming to terms with finding my zen peace, finding out who and what we are. 

GW: Can you tell me a bit about the artwork because its very vibrant, and slightly trippy…

IB: It was born from a friend: it speaks the idea of a prison. The coffin acts as the prison, you’ve got one light coming in and other type of light coming out. It sparks the idea that death is all that there is; you can't move energy from the universe really! Nothing goes away, you can take my body and burn it but somehow the energy is still there.

GW: Would you say you’re quite spiritual when it comes to these things?

IB: I wouldn’t have a couple years ago but I’m leaning that way. I’m not religious, but there’s more than we can see. There’s shit going on around us all the time" phone calls, radio waves, all this stuff is bouncing around and they’re all as real as the next thing. 

GW: After having a six year hiatus from releasing music, how would you say your growth has been in your sound and within yourselves? 

IB: I don’t have that kind of perspective: it wasn’t really a hiatus, its more just an amount of time between a whole load of stuff that happened between records. Honestly there was a lot of wasted time, I spent most of my time in my studio practises with material I didn’t end up even [using] I call that  dark arts, i.e modular synths. I’ve forced my brain to try and figure out how to use these, there’s some of it on the record, but I probably spent a year toying with gadgets. I don’t know if you’re familiar with these things, but they’re very boring. They’re not particularly musical, but they promise so much music! I honestly promise I spent months getting the old drum machine out too. 

GW: I wanted to talk about your song, ‘Fuck Your Acid Trip,’ can you tell me a time you’ve had the *worst* high, or acid trip?

IB: Erm, Jesus… in my youth there was a lot, people would tell you [it was] acid, but it was definitely strychnine. A fun story I have is one of the first shows my band played many years ago was at an old place at the tiniest bar in Seattle to about 15 people. It was actually at the bar I got open hand slapped by a lady because my girlfriend at the time said she looked like Snow White, and it pissed her off so I got a slap for it – it was an interesting place… but anyway I decided I was going to eat acid and play a show there. Which just turned into me deciding to give my amps away on stage. Oh wait, this was mushrooms… I gave my amps away, get in my car, and drive away weeping. Then I think I should not be behind the wheel, I pull over and see this beautiful hill to climb up, I start stomping my way right to the top, to just see an airport over it. I got back in my car and calmed the fuck down. That’s not really the best or worst trip, it’s just a story.

GW: So you just gave all your equipment away?

IB: I gave them to a guy that was there who I knew, I was actually surprised, that he was surprised I had asked for them back! At a 15 person show you know everyone, and I said to him, ‘thanks for grabbing my amps for me,’ and he was a bit like, oh. So I just had to say, ‘yeah, the guy who was high on stage didn’t really mean to give you his amps!’ But that’s optimism for ya.

GW: It’s crazy to imagine you guys playing to such a tiny crowd, do you see any of your OG fans at your bigger shows? 

IB: Yeah, I definitely run into people from our smaller, earlier shows. If you’ve know someone for 25 years on some level, even if it’s just the guy down the street, they’re kind of your friend. In all aspects of life, having friendships with people as far back as you can, the better you feel about life you know! I have a few friends like that, one I’ve known since third grade, she was my best friend in elementary school for two years, then I moved away, but I’m still in touch with her and it feels nice. 

GW: Would you say independent venues are important to you guys?

IB: No one starts out, for the most part, doing well. It takes a while to get there and all the good shit happens through that process. You’ve got to have these small, independent venues to incubate these opportunities. For me, small venues like that - clubs, bars - that’s where you get to form your community and make friends. Culturally small venues are great for everyone.

GW: Have you missed playing live shows over the past year?

IB: I love playing live, but miss it...there’s only really been a year. 

GW: But does that not feel like a long while for a band as big as you guys? 

IB: I mean, we had to cancel our tour and stuff but there’s no way we would’ve finished this record. So I was pretty happy, although the circumstances weren’t the best (we don’t need to go into that shit). But I’m glad that I’ve had the opportunity to be excited to go back to touring. I can’t speak for the rest of the band, but most of it I’d do again. On some level last year has probably been one of the best years of my life. I feel guilty saying it, I know people, even in my band who have had a hard time throughout it. I had a child born right before Covid, that was an interesting thing because she never got to go out and toddle around. Obviously she didn’t need to wear a mask, but I have a three-and-a-half-year-old daughter and we’d go round the playground but I’d have to explain her she couldn’t touch anything, it felt like evil parenting!

GW: Aww bless you, congrats on your little one! I also noticed you were booked for a headline show in Vegas, that’s mega, have you played there before are you excited?

IB: I’ve played Vegas quite a few times and that’s a mixed bag. Casinos can be strange, but this festival could be good because there’s so many great bands! Now I’m thinking who the fuck am I excited to see, because there are so many great bands. We were supposed to play a festival in Sweden, but that got cancelled because of Covid. It’s hard to keep track, I know we’re doing Lollapalooza…

GW: And lastly, are you excited to finally get to play this album to a live crowd?

IB: Absolutely! We’re still trying to figure out how we’d perform some of our songs live, because of the way we put them together is a bit tricky. But ‘We are Between’ is going to be fun. 

The Golden Casket is out now.

More about: Modest Mouse