Bob Mould, the legendary frontman of Hüsker Dü and Sugar, is back with a new album and single — both called Sunshine Rock — that he says find him looking on the brighter side of things after a few years living abroad. Or, more simply, “This is not Black Sheets of Rain.”
The new 37-minute album, Mould’s 13th solo effort and first since 2016’s Patch the Sky, will be released on Feb. 8 by Merge Records. You can hear the hard-rocking title track below.
Mould will follow up the album’s release by hitting the road for two runs of North American dates with a trip to Europe in between, all starting on Feb. 14 in Washington, D.C. Mould and his band will play 12 dates in the U.S. through early March, then head overseas for eight European shows before returning for seven more North American concerts. See the full tour itinerary below.
According to Merge Records’ press materials for the record, Mould found inspiration for his new album after spending the better part of the last three years living in Berlin.
“Almost four years ago, I made plans for an extended break. 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. … ‘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. It was funny, because writing with that as the opener in mind, it was like, ‘This is not Black Sheets of Rain.'”
Check out that first single, “Sunshine Rock,” below, along with Mould’s tour dates.
Bob Mould tour dates:
NORTH AMERICA
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: Chicago, IL – Metro
Feb. 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
April 2: Dallas, TX – Granada
April 3: Austin, TX – Mohawk
April 5: Portland, OR – Wonder Ballroom
April 6: Seattle, WA – Neumos
April 7: Vancouver, BC – Rickshaw
* with Titus Andronicus
EUROPE
March 8: Hamburg, Germany – Gruenspan
March 9: Berlin, Germany – Columbia Theater
March 11: Düsseldorf, Germany – Zakk
March 12: Leuven, Belgium – Het Depot
March 14: London, UK – Electric Ballroom
March 15: Leeds, UK – Brudenell Social Club
March 16: Edinburg, UK – The Liquid Rooms
March 17: Manchester, UK – Academy 2 Manchester
PREVIOUSLY ON SLICING UP EYEBALLS
- Bob Mould, Soul Asylum, Jayhawks, Suburbs to rep Twin Cities at pre-Super Bowl concert
- Vintage Video: Bob Mould plays scorching 100-minute set on ‘Black Sheets of Rain’ tour
- Bob Mould adds more dates, appearance at Wire’s festival to solo-electric tour of U.S.
- Watch Bob Mould blow the roof off ‘The Late Show with David Letterman’
Really, Bob? Metro gets two dates and no love for Indianapolis or Bloomington? The Sherwood and The Patio are long dead, but The White Rabbit and Hi-Fi are there and there’s The Bluebird and The Bishop in Bloomington. Really “makes no sense at all.”