Fresh off two triumphant sets at South By Southwest that debuted a good chunk of his upcoming Beauty & Ruin, Bob Mould has unveiled a first glimpse of that compact epic: The album track “Hey Mr. Grey” has now been released..
Having gone down a storm at those aforementioned SXSW shows, “Hey Mr. Grey” is as self-effacing as it is anthemic, a pure adrenalin shot in the vein of Bob’s late period Hüsker Dü and vintage Sugar work imbued with a self assured sense of both humor and acceptance. It’s also the tip of the iceberg (no pun intended… well, maybe…) of Beauty & Ruin‘s 36-minute journey: a sweeping exploration beginning with death and loss, through familiar relationship battlegrounds to an ultimate re-acknowledgment of his role in life (and the lives of countless others, no doubt) with an eye towards an optimistic future.
Available for pre-order as of today at Merge and iTunes, Beauty & Ruin will be released by Merge Records June 3 in North America, June 9 in the UK and Europe. The album’s release will be preceded by its first proper single “I Don’t Know You Anymore.” Bob is backed on the album as ever by his longtime band of Jason Narducy (bass/backing vocals) and Jon Wurster (drums).
