Long-running U.K. post-punk act New Model Army returns this fall with its 12th studio album and first in four years, a 14-track set dubbed Between Dog and Wolf on which the band debuts its new bassist and of which bandleader Justin Sullivan declares, “Sonically, this is the best album we’ve ever made, whilst creatively it has opened lots of new doors.”
The self-produced album, which was completed earlier this year in Los Angeles, is due out Sept. 23 on Attack Attack Records in the U.K. It features the debut of new bassist Ceri Monger, who replaces Nelson, who left the band in 2012 after 22 years, citing family and personal reasons.
Sullivan, the band’s lone original member, says of the new record:
“We were always planning to do something a bit different with this album, and it has turned out much more and much better than we could have imagined. Sonically this is the best album we’ve ever made, whilst creatively it has opened lots of new doors. The title comes from a medieval French expression for dusk – when it’s hard to distinguish between dog and wolf, friend or foe. That sense of contradiction represents the band very well and there’s something of this sense of transformation in the album. It has been a stormy four years since the release of the last album. With the sudden death of our manager, the loss of our studio in the fire, subsequent theft of remaining equipment and our old bass player Nelson’s departure, we in essence lost everything. We used this to make a new beginning and part of the change was effected with the arrival of Ceri and the refreshing energy and musical influences he brought. We are very excited about the new album and what the future holds for the band.”
The band, which embarks on a lengthy European tour this fall, also announced that a four-years-in-the-making feature-length documentary about New Model Army is in the final stages of editing, and is due for release early next year.
Tracklist: New Model Army, Between Dog and Wolf
1. “Horsemen”
2. “March In September”
3. “Seven Times”
4. “Did You make it Safe”
5. “I Need More Time”
6. “Pull The Sun”
7. “Lean Back and Fall”
8. “Knievel”
9. “Storm Clouds”
10. “Between Dog and Wolf”
11. “Quasr El Nil Bridge”
12. “Tomorrow Came”
13. “Summer Moors”
14. “Ghosts”
New Model Army – one of the truly great, and under-appreciated bands, bands of our time.
Absolutely correct!
The band is not under appreciated at all, it is very appreciated but not in that commercial way! That is their way to be, that is their choice, they even produce their LPs themselves to stay free of commercial requirements of producers who’s attention is turned to make money only!
Martin from Kildare?
Brilliant. One of the best bands around and one of the very few who continue to make inspired and memorable records.
My all time favorite band. I’ve loved their last three albums as much as any others from their past. Very much looking forward to this!
33 Years of Fury & Redemption!
I’ve been a huge fan since the Fall of ’85 when I picked up their then-latest release “No Rest For The Wicked” on cassette at the local music store. As a lifelong metalhead, NMA are just as significant to me as music lover as any of my most favorite metal bands. They transcend anyone’s ability to lump them into a single genre and have always made the most honest music befitting of wherever their collective hearts and minds are at the given time. They are the most genuine band I have ever known in every possible way and I wouldn’t trade them for anything else in this world. Everything they release is a total automatic purchase for me and this one is going to be even more so because of the circumstances it was conceived and recorded under. I couldn’t be more stoked about a forthcoming release than this.
I am as happy as I could possibly be with winter on top of us and the thought of the long evenings ahead of us! Just another beautiful piece of music to listen to and as Brian above me said,this also would not be my normal music genre I would listen to,but after meeting my wife in 85 and getting introduced to them,I was hooked and have been since!
I hope they sell a million and then some :-)