J Mascis has announced his fifth solo album, What Do We Do Now, out on February 2nd via Sub Pop. As a preview, the Dinosaur Jr. mastermind has shared the record’s lead single “Can’t Believe We’re Here” and a star-studded accompanying music video.
Mascis recorded What Do We Do Now at his own studio, Bisquiteen, in Western Massachusetts. With guest performances from The B-52’s Ken Mauri on keys and Matthew “Doc” Dunn on steel guitar, it’ll mark Mascis’ first solo album that features full drum and electric leads, though still backed by some acoustic instrumentation that Dinosaur Jr. fans will find familiar. Pre-orders for physical copies are ongoing.
“When I’m writing for the band, I’m always trying to think of doing things [Dinosaur Jr. bandmates] Lou and Murph would fit into,” Mascis said of his creative process. “For myself, I’m thinking more about what I can do with just an acoustic guitar, even for the leads. Of course, this time, I added full drums and electric leads, although the rhythm parts are still all acoustic. Usually, I try to do the solo stuff more simply so I can play it by myself, but I really wanted to add the drums. Once that started, everything else just fell into place. So it ended up sounding a lot more like a band record. I dunno why I did that exactly, but it’s just what happened.”
You can hear that mix of electronics and acoustics on “Can’t Believe We’re Here,” a bright power-pop number. Its music video compiles DIY footage contributed by the likes of Fred Armisen, David Cross, IDLES, Bully’s Alicia Bognanno, and more. Watch it below, and then keep scrolling to see the artwork and details for What Do We Do Now.
In September, Mascis appeared on “Divine Mascis” a newly-unearthed alternate version of The Breeders’ classic “Divine Hammer.” Dinosaur Jr. just kicked off a residency in London to celebrate the 30th anniversary of their fifth studio album Where You Been, with Brooklyn dates scheduled for next month. Grab tickets to the remaining London shows here, and Brooklyn shows here.
What Do We Do Now Artwork:
What Do We Do Now Tracklist:
01. Can’t Believe We’re Here
02. What Do We Do Now
03. Right Behind You
04. You Don’t Understand Me
05. I Can’t Find You
06. Old Friends
07. It’s True
08. Set Me Down
09. Hangin Out
10. End Is Gettin Shaky
